Illinois Natural History Survey

What Illinois Natural History Survey does

Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) is a publicly funded research unit established in 1858 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, operating as part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It functions as Illinois' biological memory and recorder, maintaining and curating biological specimen collections of millions of items across plants, animals, insects, fungi, mollusks, fish, crustaceans, annelids, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fossils, with the combined herbaria ranking as the second-largest in Illinois and tenth-largest in the United States. INHS also operates modern analytical capabilities including DNA barcoding, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and CT scanning of specimens, and runs statewide monitoring programs such as the Critical Trends Assessment Program, the Spring Bird Count (covering all 102 Illinois counties annually since 1972), and disease-vector surveillance through its Medical Entomology Lab. It publishes the continuously running INHS Bulletin (since 1876) and field guides via the University of Illinois Press, and operates citizen-science platforms including I-Pollinate, I-Tick, and the Traveling Science Center mobile classroom.

INHS serves Illinois state agencies (notably the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Natural Resources), academic researchers, resource managers and policymakers, educators, and the general public through citizen-science participation. Its business model is government funding–led, primarily through state appropriations and grants such as the $450,000 IDPH grant for a two-year tick and mosquito surveillance project, supplemented by publication sales (field guides through University of Illinois Press) and open-access scientific publishing. INHS holds the legislatively mandated Office of the State Biologist (established 2008) and the State Entomologist position, and its specimen and plant data are integrated into national infrastructure including iDigBio, SEINet, and the Consortium of Midwest Herbaria. As a state government entity under the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, INHS does not raise venture capital and does not sell commercial products.

Name

Illinois Natural History Survey

Legal name

Illinois Natural History Survey

Website

https://inhs.illinois.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1858

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), established in 1858 in Champaign, Illinois, is a publicly funded state research unit within the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois that curates millions of biological specimens and operates statewide biological monitoring, serving Illinois state agencies, researchers, educators, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Research Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (924120), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental DNA (eDNA) & Advanced Biodiversity Methods (Bioacoustics, Camera Traps) (EUAHAHAM), Terrestrial Ecology & Habitat Surveys (EUAHAHAA), Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Assessments (EUAHAHAB), Natural Resource Inventory & Forest/Woodland Assessments (Timber, Vegetation, Invasives) (EUAHAHAG), Wildlife Health & Conservation Disease Management (HLAMAJAM), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Forest Pest & Pathogen Monitoring (AFAMAEAA)

Keywords

• Biological collections research
• Wildlife biodiversity monitoring
• Environmental DNA analysis
• Natural history surveys
• Citizen science programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: Primary funding from state agencies including Illinois Department of Public Health ($450,000 grant for tick/mosquito surveillance) and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Funding supports statewide surveillance projects and research programs.
2. Publication Sales: INHS publishes field guides and scientific publications in partnership with University of Illinois Press. Also provides free technical reports and maintains open-access publications like the INHS Bulletin.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Illinois Natural History Survey collects, preserves, and analyzes biological specimens representing Illinois' biota across multiple taxa (plants, insects, fish, mammals, mollusks, fungi, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and more). It conducts environmental monitoring and statewide disease-vector surveillance, publishes peer-reviewed research and field guides, and operates community science programs (I-Pollinate, I-Tick, Spring Bird Count) and educational outreach including a mobile science classroom, serving state agencies, academic researchers, educators, and the general public.

Product overview

The Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) is a research institute within the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois that serves as the guardian and recorder of Illinois' biological resources. INHS operates as a multi-program research institution rather than a single unified product. Its core offerings center on biological collections and databases: the INHS Biological Collections hold millions of specimens across taxa (plants, animals, insects, mollusks, fungi, fish, crustaceans, annelids, mammals, birds, amphibians/reptiles, and fossils), accessible through the INHS Collections Data Portal; the Illinois Plants Database (PlantDB) provides a searchable statewide plant occurrence database; and the INHS Herbarium is among the 10 largest herbaria in the United States. INHS publishes the open-access INHS Bulletin (continuous since 1876) and sells field guides through the University of Illinois Press. Community science programs include I-Pollinate (pollinator monitoring), I-Tick (tick surveillance), the Spring Bird Count (annual bird census since 1972), and the Traveling Science Center (mobile classroom). Environmental assessment programs monitor ecosystems statewide, and the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) tracks the condition of Illinois' forests, wetlands, and grasslands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INHS Traveling Science Center: A 320-square-foot mobile classroom featuring exhibits on biodiversity and natural resources that visits schools and communities across Illinois.

Products and services

• Biological Collections Curated physical collections of biological specimens across multiple taxa, including amphibians and reptiles (~40,000 specimens, 550+ species), birds (3,000+ specimens), fish (896,000+ specimens), mammals (30,000+ lots), annelids (350,000 specimens), crustaceans (130,000+ specimens), insects (millions), mollusks (509,000+ specimens), fossils, fungi (70,000+ specimens), and plants (1,200,000+ specimens across three herbaria).
• Illinois Plants Database (PlantDB) A searchable online database providing records of plant occurrences across Illinois, drawing from herbarium specimens, surveys, and published floras, enabling exploration of plant distribution, traits, and habitats statewide.
• INHS Herbarium One of three plant herbaria housed at the Robert A. Evers Laboratory, collectively containing over 1,200,000 specimens and ranking as the second-largest herbarium in Illinois and the 10th-largest in the United States.
• INHS Collections Data Portal An online portal providing searchable access to specimen records from the INHS biological collections for scientists, resource managers, policymakers, and the public.
• INHS Bulletin The flagship open-access peer-reviewed journal of the Illinois Natural History Survey, published continuously since 1876, covering biodiversity, conservation, ecology, systematics, and wildlife biology.
• I-Pollinate A statewide citizen science project enabling volunteers to collect data on monarch egg and caterpillar abundance, pollinator visitation to ornamental flowers, and state bee demographics.
• I-Tick (Illinois Tick Inventory Collaboration Network) A collaborative citizen science initiative allowing individuals to submit collected ticks for scientific identification, helping researchers understand where and when ticks come in contact with people, pets, and livestock across Illinois.
• Spring Bird Count An annual volunteer-powered bird census conducted across all 102 Illinois counties each May, ongoing since 1972, generating data on bird population changes throughout the state.
• INHS Traveling Science Center A 320-square-foot mobile classroom featuring exhibits on biodiversity and natural resources that visits schools and communities across Illinois.
• INHS Field Guides Field guides published in partnership with the University of Illinois Press, including An Atlas of Illinois Fishes, Butterflies of Illinois, and Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of continuous bird population data through Spring Bird Count
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026IDPH awarded a $450,000 grant to the Medical Entomology Lab at INHS for a two-year statewide surveillance project targeting mosquitoes, ticks, and biting midges. Researchers will collect specimens, test for pathogens including Lyme disease and emerging viruses, and monitor insecticide resistance.
• University of Illinois College of Veterinary MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership through the I-TICK program (Illinois Tick Inventory Collaboration Network) between INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Lab and the College of Veterinary Medicine for tick surveillance and species identification.
• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDNR supports the Critical Trends Assessment Program and collaborates on conservation status updates for threatened and endangered plants. INHS scientists work with IDNR on species recovery efforts.
• University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINHS is part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The herbarium includes collections from the University of Illinois Plant Biology Herbarium and Crop Evolution Laboratory Herbarium.
• Illinois Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAS supports bird conservation programs and provides volunteers for the Spring Bird Count. Their goals include raising public awareness of birds and wildlife and supporting protection programs.
• University of Illinois Committee on Natural AreasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOversees more than 1,000 acres of natural areas acquired to support research and education. INHS scientist James Ellis coordinates protection and use of these areas for teaching and research.
• University of Illinois PressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for publishing field guides including An Atlas of Illinois Fishes, Butterflies of Illinois, and Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Field Museum: A Chicago-based natural history museum and research institution with major biological collections spanning global biodiversity. Comparable to INHS in its specimen-based research mission, public engagement, and conservation science focus, though broader in geographic scope and visitor-facing operations.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: The U.S. national natural history research institution, operating one of the world's largest biological collections. Directly comparable to INHS in collection-based research, taxonomic expertise, eDNA/barcoding programs, and conservation science, though at vastly larger national scale.
• California Academy of Sciences: A major natural history museum and research institution with extensive biological collections and active citizen-science programs. Comparable to INHS in collection scale, research output, eDNA applications, and public engagement, though focused on California/global biodiversity.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: A leading botanical research institution with one of the world's largest herbaria and active plant science programs. Directly comparable to INHS's herbarium (10th largest in the US) and Illinois Plants Database, with similar digitization efforts and contributions to regional flora networks.

Direct peers

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: University-based ornithology research center operating eBird, one of the world's largest biodiversity citizen-science platforms. Comparable to INHS through its Spring Bird Count-style longitudinal citizen science, scientific authority on bird populations, and state-of-the-art data infrastructure for avian monitoring.
• iNaturalist: A joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic Society operating the world's leading citizen-science biodiversity platform. Directly comparable to INHS because INHS already uses iNaturalist (Ticks of Illinois project), and the platform competes for the same volunteer-driven biodiversity data INHS aggregates through SBC, I-Pollinate, and I-Tick.
• NatureServe: A nonprofit network providing authoritative biodiversity data and conservation status assessments across North America. Comparable to INHS through its role aggregating state-level biological data, providing scientific input to conservation policy, and contributing to endangered species assessments alongside IDNR partners.

Regional players

• New York State Museum - Biological Survey: New York's state natural history research program operating biological collections and statewide biodiversity surveys. One of the most direct U.S. peers to INHS given the parallel state survey mandate, collection-based research, and statewide monitoring programs — though focused on New York rather than Illinois.
• Michigan State University Museum - Michigan Natural Features Inventory: A statewide biological survey program operating within a public university system, focused on rare species, natural communities, and biodiversity data for Michigan. Highly comparable to INHS in operating model (university-based state survey), taxonomic expertise, and state agency partnerships.

Others

• National Audubon Society: A national bird conservation nonprofit that already partners with INHS on the Spring Bird Count via the Illinois Audubon Society. Comparable to INHS in citizen-science bird monitoring, conservation advocacy, and public engagement around biodiversity — adjacent rather than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2cWq2Lt85y6H4ud64fjmOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PrairieResearchInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prairie-research-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/prairieresearch
• TikToktiktok.com/@prairieresearch?lang=en
• Xx.com/inhsillinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Illinois Natural History Survey