(410 ILCS 110/15)
    Sec. 15. Department grant program.
    (a) The Department of Public Health shall develop and administer the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute Program within the Department to provide for the awarding of grants to Illinois medical research institutions.
    (b) The purposes of the Institute grant program are:
        (1) to improve the health of the citizens of Illinois
    
through stem cell research;
        (2) to support scientific research in Illinois for
    
which funding from the U.S. government is currently restricted, namely human embryonic stem cell research;
        (3) to improve the national competitive position of
    
Illinois in the field of regenerative medicine; and
        (4) to promote the translation of stem cell research
    
into clinical practice and the transfer of technology to biomedical and technological industry.
    (c) The Department shall adopt rules for the implementation of the Institute grant program, including but not limited to:
        (1) rules for the solicitation of proposals for
    
grants;
        (2) rules concerning the eligibility of nonprofit
    
Illinois medical research institutions to receive awards under the Institute grant program;
        (3) rules for the conduct of competitive and
    
scientific peer review of all proposals submitted under the Institute grant program;
        (4) rules for the procurement of materials for the
    
conduct of stem cell research, including rules ensuring that persons are empowered to make voluntary and informed decisions to participate or to refuse to participate in such research, and ensuring confidentiality of such decisions; and
        (5) rules concerning the monitoring of funded
    
research to ensure the researcher is following current best practices with respect to medical ethics, including informed consent of patients and the protection of human subjects.
(Source: P.A. 95-519, eff. 1-1-08.)