The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), part of the University of Illinois System, conducts tech workforce development, applied research and business building in Chicago.

[1] Planning for and development of DPI started in 2016 under the leadership of University of Illinois President Tim Killeen and Ed Seidel, UI's vice president for economic development and innovation, with a goal to build an institution where students and faculty from Illinois campuses and other individuals can interact with academic and business partners, take classes, do research, intern with private companies, learn entrepreneurship and work with community agencies.

University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen thanked Jackson for his dedicated leadership and appointed Deba Dutta as interim executive director of DPI.

The eight-story building – a layered dome of glass and steel – will provide more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, laboratory and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners.

In December 2020, the Pritzker Foundation announced it is giving $10 million over five years to DPI to support and develop promising and more diverse tech talent in Illinois.

DPI's corporate partners in its workforce development efforts include Apple, Google, Cognizant, and CVS Health.