Approach
IGPA improves public policy discussion through nonpartisan, evidence-based research and public engagement in Illinois.
IGPA connects the world-class research and expertise of the University of Illinois System to policy conversations in Illinois and beyond.
IGPA serves as a catalyst and connector across the university system by partnering with colleges, departments, institutes, and centers on projects, events, and publications.
In 2020 alone, IGPA published dozens of research reports, policy briefs, and other materials to undergird conversations on public health, fiscal recovery, community resilience, and more.
Process
“The University of Illinois System is the people’s university, and IGPA is the people’s think tank.”
01. Research
The University of Illinois System is the state’s trusted source for world-class research and expertise. IGPA ensures that the work system scholars do matters in the real world, from the statehouse to media and beyond.
02. Collaborate
IGPA has a long history of working with policymakers to pinpoint issues in need of attention, answer complex questions in need of greater research, and develop objective, data-driven policy that serves the people of Illinois. IGPA’s faculty working groups ensure that policy questions get in-depth, interdisciplinary consideration.
03. Return Value
The people of Illinois have made an incredible investment in the University of Illinois System, and IGPA helps return that value by supporting necessary, well-informed policymaking that improves their lives.
01.
Join a Working Group
Our working groups are open to scholars across the University of Illinois System. They build interdepartmental, interdisciplinary relationships that enhance your work and strengthen its potential impact.
02.
Access Expertise on Tap
The University of Illinois System is a trusted source for top-quality research and expertise drawn from all three universities. IGPA matches this expertise directly to the policy needs of our state.
03.
Request an Interview
IGPA scholars have been cited in the past year in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Route Fifty, NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and the Christian Science Monitor, among many others.
04.
Register for Events
Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, IGPA’s events are a core component of our commitment to public engagement that sparks smart policy.
05.
Learn More About IGPA's Programs
IGPA works in collaboration with partners to provide regular leadership training, learning opportunities, and other programming.



-UIS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Meghan A. Kessler, who authored an IGPA Policy Spotlight