A new $123 million fund will work to recruit up to 45 chemistry researchers and their teams to Indiana universities over the next five years, betting on the premise that building research talent is a prerequisite for the state’s broader life sciences ambitions. “The researchers recruited through the fund will bring together an unmatched cluster of multi-disciplinary expertise to develop platform technologies necessary to enable the reshoring of life science manufacturing and work to tackle industry-informed grand challenges,” stated BioCrossroads’ CEO and President, Vince Wong.
Research talent recruitment and financial support has been a cornerstone of many state technology-based economic development strategies for years. A difference here is the absence of the state economic development agency making any of the strategic investments. The Catalyst Scholars Fund, launched by CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP, formerly Central Indiana Corporate Partnership), is backed by a $69.4 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. and matching commitments from five participating universities—Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The fund will provide matching support for laboratory infrastructure, equipment, and startup packages to help those institutions recruit new research faculty specializing in areas such as analytical chemistry and automation in bioscience manufacturing.
CICP has long served as convener of Indiana’s major employers and research universities, a role that naturally extends into the fund’s design. Eli Lilly, Corteva, and Elanco are among the industry partners that will work with CICP and the universities to identify research priorities and collaborate directly with recruited faculty on sponsored research. The participating universities have also agreed to share major equipment and specialized facilities funded through the initiative.
"The Catalyst Scholars Fund begins to position Indiana as the go-to location for innovation and technology implementation in Advanced Chemistry manufacturing," CICP CEO Melina Kennedy said in a press release announcing the fund. CICP describes the fund as the first phase of a broader advanced chemistry strategy for the state. Indiana already has a significant presence in chemistry-related manufacturing, and the initiative’s backers see recruiting research faculty as a way to build the academic depth needed to support both existing industry and new commercialization opportunities.