Indiana unveils collaborative biosciences institute
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute will combine industry and academia to further develop the state's bioscience strength and foster collaboration
INDIANAPOLIS—Industry and academia were united in a novelnew initiative today as Indiana Governor Mike Pence, along with Indiana-basedglobal life sciences and research university executives, announced the IndianaBiosciences Research Institute, an industry-led collaborative life sciencesresearch institute. The Institute, the first of its kind in the United States,is a statewide public-private partnership advanced by BioCrossroads and lifesciences companies in the states, with support from the State itself andresearch universities, and will seek to discover, develop and bring to marketbioscience innovations in Indiana.
"This Institute comes at a pivotal time in our state'sevolution as a global life sciences leader. With a bioscience sector that nowcontributes more than $50 billion a year to the Hoosier economy, Indiana isranked by BIO and Battelle as one of the top five states in the nation in termsof our total number of life-sciences companies and employees," David Johnson,president and CEO of BioCrossroads, said in a press release. "Through theInstitute, BioCrossroads believes we have found a bold way to raise our game inIndiana by building the platform that will truly take us to the next level ofsuccess."
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute is supported byindustry executives from Eli Lilly and Co., Dow AgroSciences, RocheDiagnostics, Cook Medical, Indiana University Health and Biomet, with IndianaUniversity, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame participating inthe development process. The Institute will be based on a novel operating modelin which industry will provide a major source of funding in addition todirecting the research focus.
The Institute, currently estimated at $360 million, is anon-profit entity "that is anticipated to be supported largely by corporate andphilanthropic funding with oversight from a largely donor-based board ofdirectors representing the life sciences industry, the state of Indiana,academia and nonprofit donors," Dow AgroSciences noted in a press release. TheState of Indiana has so far appropriated $25 million for start-up costs, with amatching amount being sought from industry and philanthropic sources and theremainder of its capital funding to be sought from corporate and philanthropicsources.
"The research institute will change the bio-landscape of ourregion," Bart Peterson, senior vice president at Lilly, commented in astatement. "Indiana's life-sciences companies spend billions of dollars inresearch and development each year to advance health care innovations forimproved human health. The Institute will help us nurture our partnershipsacross the country and develop more intellectual capital here in Indiana –allowing us to keep more research dollars in the state, attract more federalresearch funds and draw top scientific minds to feed our research pipeline andlocal economies."
To begin with, the Indiana Biosciences Research Institutewill focus on some of today's leading health issues, including cardiovasculardisease, diabetes, obesity and nutrition.
"A decade ago, BioCrossroads helped Indiana become a moreattractive place for life sciences companies to do business," said Peterson."Today, we collectively take the next step with the Indiana BiosciencesResearch Institute."
