$1 Million Endowment Grant to Fund Grainger Computing Innovation Prize

Illinois Institute of Technology has announced the inaugural Grainger Computing Innovation Prize, an annual innovation competition that aims to solve critical societal challenges through innovative computing solutions and cross-disciplinary collaborations. A $1 million endowment grant funded by The Grainger Foundation will support the Grainger Computing Innovation Prize, and student teams will receive substantial prizes for finishing in first, second, and third place.

“Illinois Tech was born to provide unrivaled opportunity and value to students from all walks of life, and we thank The Grainger Foundation for partnering with us to meet that mission with the Grainger Computing Innovation Prize,” Illinois Tech President Alan W. Cramb says.

The Grainger Computing Innovation Prize will launch during the 2021–22 academic year and will consist of team-based competitions centered on innovative computing solutions. In conjunction with Illinois Tech’s newly established College of Computing, teams will be composed of students from across different fields of study and from various backgrounds. The goal is that a diversity of thought will lend itself to unique solutions and will bolster cross-disciplinary collaborations.

The Grainger Computing Innovation Prize will culminate in a competition in which student teams share their projects with attendees and present their findings to a panel of esteemed judges.

“Students, faculty, and alumni of Illinois Tech have always been at the forefront of fueling innovations and revolutionizing modern technology in Chicago and beyond with inventions such as the cell phone, magnetic recording, and Amazon Alexa, to name just a few,” says Lance Fortnow, dean of Illinois Tech’s College of Computing. “The Grainger Computing Innovation Prize will be a premier avenue for our students to utilize what they’ve learned inside the classroom and to directly apply their skills to real-life challenges they face every day.”

Photo: Students work in The Grainger Foundation Laboratories on the Illinois Tech campus. A $1 million endowment grant funded by The Grainger Foundation will support the Grainger Computing Innovation Prize, an annual innovation competition that aims to solve critical societal challenges.