Indiana Initiative Targets Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics

A new initiative to target and promote Indiana's manufacturing and logistics sector will do so in a similar manner to the 2002 BioCrossroads initiative that aided in transforming the region’s life sciences industry, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) recently announced.

 

Conexus Indiana, the new initiative launched by CICP, will address three key priorities: developing a highly-skilled manufacturing workforce; creating industry collaborations to explore new business opportunities; and aggressively marketing Indiana’s manufacturing and logistics strengths to the business community, potential workers and the general public. 

 

CICP anticipates a total budget of $6.5 million through 2009 with a $3 million grant by the Lilly Endowment and additional pledges by leading companies and institutions. The funds will be used to support the following planned and ongoing efforts:

• Working with higher education and training providers, tailoring programs to create educational opportunities aligned with manufacturing and logistics;
• Launching an educational career awareness program modeled on the “Dream it, Do it” campaign by the National Association for Manufactures and the Manufacturing Institute to attract young people to the industry;
• Researching new markets to attract more federal contracts and evaluating potential growth areas and start-ups and spin-offs based on patent and R&D activity; and,
• Creating “connectivity” programs such as a statewide database linking large manufacturers to potential Indiana suppliers and supply chain networking events.

For more information on Conexus Indiana, please visit: http://www.conexusindiana.com/