Groupon founder donates $1 million to Northwestern University

CHICAGO - Groupon Chairman and Co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and his wife Liz have donated $1 million to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University in Chicago to help further the study of oncology treatment.

As part of the Lefkofsky Family Foundation established in 2006, The Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Innovation Research Fund will provide financial resources to support new medical analysis in the field of cancer.

This year's Fund applicants presented a proposal outlining their plans. Awardees earn the title of Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Scholar, a $75,000 grant for a term of one year and the opportunity to compete for a second year of funding.

Recipients of the 2015 round of grants were recently announced. Awardees include Vadim Backman, Ph.D. and Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., whose plans will help further innovative research and aim to develop into wider, nationally-funded studies. Last year's awardees Athanassios Vassilopoulos, Ph.D. and Laura Lackner, Ph.D. were both rewarded with second-year grants.

"We are grateful to Liz and Eric Lefkofsky for their generosity and commitment to turning bold ideas into impactful research," said Leonidas Platanias, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Lurie Cancer Center. "These awards enable our investigators, at all career stages, to pursue highly innovative approaches with the power to ultimately transform cancer treatment."