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SCIENCE INNOVATION

 
 
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BRIDGING GAPS AND CATALYZING NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE SCIENCES TO BUILD REGIONAL ADVANTAGE

The Science Innovation program area of Walder Foundation honors and builds upon Dr. Joseph Walder’s enduring legacy by supporting scientific discovery, the development of innovative life science applications, and translation of scientific learnings to impactful solutions for human health and wellbeing.

Our strategy is guided by Dr. Walder’s exemplary values and inspired by the ingenuity with which he approached all challenges.

Our grantmaking leverages Chicagoland strengths and cross-sector partnerships to bridge gaps and catalyze new opportunities to build regional advantage.

We aim to see Greater Chicago become a thriving beacon for life science innovations, achieved through strategic investment in initiatives to strengthen the scientific community, build research capacity, and foster bioeconomic growth across the region.

GRANTEE STORIES

 
News
Why Early Research Opportunities Matter: Building the Next Generation of Scientists in Chicago
Why Early Research Opportunities Matter: Building the Next Generation of Scientists in Chicago

Undergraduate student research experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics offer a springboard to graduate school program enrollment and scientific progress in the Chicago region and beyond.

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How a Biopharma Hub and their Entrepreneurial Fellows are Placing Chicago as a Center of Biotech Innovation
How a Biopharma Hub and their Entrepreneurial Fellows are Placing Chicago as a Center of Biotech Innovation

The Chicago Biomedical Consortium applies venture-level rigor, industry expertise, and patient capital to transform early scientific discoveries into investable ideas in and for Chicago and beyond.

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Funding Science at the Molecular Level to Decipher Dementia
Funding Science at the Molecular Level to Decipher Dementia

With an endowed gift from the Walder Foundation, the Bloomberg School created the Walder Foundation Distinguished Professorship.

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Empowering Clinical Researchers Post-COVID
Empowering Clinical Researchers Post-COVID

Helping marginalized physician-scientists make up for lost time.

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Moving Towards a Variant-Proof Future
Moving Towards a Variant-Proof Future

UChicago lab tests a promising new COVID vaccine that adapts to changing viral variants.

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Chicago Coronavirus Assessment Network (Chicago CAN)
Chicago Coronavirus Assessment Network (Chicago CAN)

We are committed to helping the Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County public health departments better understand the transmission of the virus so that we might safely reopen our communities and prevent similar crises from happening again.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Funding opportunities are by invitation only. As a learning organization, the Foundation is continuously iterating, adapting, and evolving its approaches and grantmaking criteria.

For updates about funding opportunities in science innovation, sign up for alerts and select “Science Innovation” in your interests.