CHICAGO – Today Senate Democrats spoke out in support of the final design of the new headquarters for the University of Illinois Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago and apprenticeship partnership programs planned for the institute.

Within the next five years, the Chicago/Skills apprenticeship program will provide as many as 2,500 individuals with tuition free technology training along with paid apprenticeship opportunities, focusing on diverse apprentices. CVS has committed to hiring 200 successful participants of the program every year for the next three years.

“The Chicago/Skills apprenticeship program is a much-needed investment for our communities,” said Senator Tony Munoz (D-Chicago). “Oftentimes people don’t have the means to gain the skills needed to find a job in the labor force. This apprenticeship program will give more people the training they need to be successful.”

The new DPI headquarters will be located on a one-acre site southwest of the loop, providing more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners. Illinois has provided $500 million in funding to launch DPI and work to establish its Innovation Network at regional universities across the state.

“Today’s unveiling of Discovery Partners Institute's new and improved headquarters design symbolizes the expansion of their mission to connect underrepresented Chicagoans with quality education and opportunities for employment across various industries,” said State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago). “Further, this innovative partnership between DPI, Interapt and CVS will provide an economic boost that will reverberate throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.” 

The expected launch of the project will begin in 2024, becoming the first building to begin construction in the 78 Innovation District. This facility will transform the community to connect the South Loop and Chinatown, filing a 62-acre void that has long been separated.

Inside the new headquarters – an eight-story, layered dome of glass and steel – DPI is creating spaces for connections with communities on all sides of the building, riverfront, and future phases of the larger Innovation District at The 78. The base will be populated with space that will be shared with the public including a café, auditorium, and multipurpose exhibition spaces/classrooms. The buildings main entry will be located at 15^th street and Wells-Wentworth with a Richard Hunt sculpture anchoring the site landscape.

The Illinois Capital Development Board will oversee design and construction of the new DPI headquarters along with architecture firms Jacobs and OMA, under the direction of partner Shohei Shigematsu, are leading the design. Related Midwest, the developer of The 78, donated the land for DPI and will oversee the buildout of the 62-acre property.

For more information on DPI’s new headquarters in Chicago visit the University of Illinois Discovery Partners Institute’s website.

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