Indiana’s life sciences industry keeps evolving, expanding and making new discoveries. The 2019 BioCrossroads Annual Report outlines how companies made acquisitions and invested in their local operations; new organizations opened facilities in Indiana, bringing innovation and hundreds of new jobs to the landscape; and start-ups received venture funding to move their products forward. The result is a vibrant and growing Indiana life sciences sector that is 2,157 companies and 56,575 people strong.

BioCrossroads has released a new report from TEConomy Partners titled Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics in Indiana: An Initial Discussion of Industry Needs and University Capabilities. TEConomy conducted a series of interviews with major employers in Indiana along with leadership at Indiana University (IU), Purdue University (Purdue) and the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame) to generate their findings, perspectives and recommendations. The study finds that technological change is affecting our economy at an unprecedented pace and is driving significant investments by Indiana’s industry partners and research universities to ensure that they stay ahead of the curve. However, there is limited coordination between industry and academia leaving missed opportunities to leverage investment, recruit and retain talent, and drive economic growth for the state. [READ FULL REPORT]

AgriNovus Indiana has released a study providing an extensive assessment of the Indiana agbiosciences entrepreneurial ecosystem. AgriNovus commissioned the study to better understand the environment needed for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive in Indiana. Entrepreneurial ventures have been found to be key drivers of new technology and also job creation. The study found that in order for Indiana to be the home to unparalleled agbioscience talent and innovation, a robust entrepreneurial community, culture and infrastructure is needed.

Energy Systems Network (ESN) released a report that examines market trends, opportunities, and future implications of the evolving advanced mobility sector, which includes a variety of transportation modes such as cars, transit buses, scooters, and bicycles. Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends is a comprehensive review and discussion of the evolution of the transportation and mobility industry, from the 20th century’s orientation toward roadways and personal automobiles; to vehicles’ current advancements propelled by electrification, automation, and sharing; to the emergence of “micromobility” (such as bikes or scooters) and other functional modes and business models, including Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) models that offer a variety of transportation solutions based on the consumer’s specific needs through one platform. ESN’s Director of Mobility, Matt Peak, is the author of the report.

2018 saw continued progress, and it was an especially productive year for CICP, its projects and its initiatives (AgriNovus Indiana, Ascend Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana, Energy Systems Network and TechPoint). The early 2018 launch of Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak’s book, The New Localism—with its extensive focus on CICP as a global model for communities in structuring and governance of economic development activity— spurred considerable publicity and acclaim for CICP. In addition, as CICP looks to ensure the organization is continuing to deliver maximum impact, it released two landmark pieces of research, the Brookings Institution’s Advancing Opportunity in Central Indiana and the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program report, Rethinking Cluster Initiatives. As CICP enters its 20th year, it’s important to look back to see how far we’ve come, but to also focus on the future and the opportunities ahead. One [...]

BioCrossroads and Indiana’s life sciences industry celebrated an active 2018. The life sciences sector had several notable developments and continued its national prominence with a continuation of strong workforce, wages and company statistics.