Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.1 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois Institutions

June 08, 2026 Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.1 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois Institutions WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $9,148,321 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions for medical research. The grantees will use the federal funding to better understand neurological disorders, infectious diseases, addiction, and cancer while also providing federal support for medical research training and infrastructure programs. “Illinois is home to world-class medical research institutions that are pushing our nation toward a cure for cancer and treatment for neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. I’m grateful to bring federal dollars home to support this critical research at Illinois institutions,” Durbin said. “Investing in our world-renowned medical research facilities and institutions is critical in helping ensure high quality health care for all Illinoisans,” Duckworth said. “I will keep working with Senator Durbin to make sure our health organizations have the federal support they need to continue improving cancer and infectious disease research as well as advancing medical treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases across Illinois.” Recipients of these HHS grants include: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $361,493 University of Chicago (Biomedical Research and Research Training): $337,089 University of Chicago (Research Infrastructure Programs) $725,546 Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $725,444 Northwestern University (Cancer Research Manpower): $299,197 Northwestern University (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research): $512,655 Northwestern University (Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs): $530,420 Northwestern University (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $436,062 Northwestern University (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $439,358 University of Illinois at Chicago (Lung Disease Research): $586,263 University of Illinois at Chicago (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research): $714,758 University of Illinois at Chicago (Aging Research): $660,346 University of Chicago (Cardiovascular Diseases Research): $964,320 Illinois Institute of Technology (Cancer Treatment Research): $648,992 Northwestern University (Cardiovascular Diseases Research): $696,259 Rush University Medical Center (Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs): $510,119 Durbin has long been a strong advocate for robust medical research. His legislation, the American Cures Act , would provide annual budget increases of five percent plus inflation at America’s top four biomedical research agencies: the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical and Prosthetics Research Program. Thanks to Durbin’s efforts to increase medical research funding, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent funding increase over the past decade. Since Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15), because of Durbin’s efforts, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent increase in annual funding, raising the appropriations level from $30 billion in FY15 to $49 billion today. -30- Print Email Share Tweet