Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation | University of Illinois Archives

Name: Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation

Historical Note: The Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation was created in 2000 as the Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Corporate relations (OVEDCR) with responsibility for the commercialization of intellectual property, research, and technology developed within the University of Illinois System. It was known as the OVPEDCR from 2000-2003, the Office of the Vice President for Technology and Economic Development (OVPTED) from 2003-2011, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) from 2011-2016, and finally the Office of the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation since 2016. This office has been led by Chester S. Gardner (2000-2001), David L. Chicoine (2001-2007), James A. Weyhenmeyer (interim, 2007-2008), Avijit Ghosh (2008-2011), Lawrence B. Schook (2011-2016), Ed Seidel (2016-2020), and Jay Walsh (2020-present). The OVPEDI oversees the Illinois Innovation Network, Illinois Ventures, and the Offices of Technology Management at the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses.