February 26, 2018 

Contact:  Amelia Salter
Office: (217) 265-0048
Email: asalter2@uillinois.edu

Launch of Illinois Defense Network

The University of Illinois System will host an event Tuesday to launch the Illinois Defense Network, a new initiative that will bring together industry, government and academic stakeholders to strengthen the state defense supply chain and lift communities across the state. Findings also will be announced of a new study led by the U of I System that assessed the statewide impact of federal defense spending, which contributes billions of dollars to the Illinois economy and helps support more than 100,000 jobs across the state.

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, chair of the state’s Military Economic Development Committee, will open the event. The new initiative will then be outlined by officials from the U of I System, the Department of Defense and the new Illinois Defense Network.

When:      10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 27

Where:     Governor’s Ballroom B
               State House Inn
               101 E. Adams St.
               Springfield, IL

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The University of Illinois System is a world leader in research and discovery, the largest educational institution in the state with more than 83,000 students, nearly 25,000 faculty and staff, and universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I awards more than 22,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually.