iBIO: Leading Companies Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., Baxter Healthcare Corporation. and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. Invest $1 million in Illinois' Biotechnology Future

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Astellas US, and other corporate donors yesterday announced their support for biotechnology education and entrepreneurship in Illinois through gifts totaling nearly $1 million to the iBIO® Institute. The Institute is the educational arm of the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization, the association that champions the life sciences in Illinois and nearby Midwest. With its goal of raising a $1 million seed fund assured, the iBIO Institute yesterday announced that a portion of the fund will support the rollout of iBIO PROPEL, a major new educational program designed to boost the efforts of Illinois biotechnology entrepreneurs at the Molecular Biology Research Building at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The purpose of the program is to provide a ‘boot camp’ educational experience for entrepreneurs, teaching them the secrets of successful startups, and introducing them to an incredible range of resources.