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Initiative: Indiana University Innovation Center
Location: Bloomington, Indiana

Moving Discoveries to the Marketplace

IU Innovation Center to support IT and life sciences startups

Pathbreaking research on the IU Bloomington campus will soon have a shorter route from the laboratory to the marketplace. The new $10 million Indiana University Innovation Center (IUIC) scheduled to open later this summer on the city’s east side will help turn critical research into entrepreneurial efforts that will benefit Hoosiers and stimulate Indiana’s economy.

“Some of our leading researchers—especially in information technology and the bio and life sciences—are making discoveries that have direct applications and potential for economic development for Bloomington and the entire state of Indiana,” says Bill Stephan, IU vice president for engagement.

Enhancing Technology Commercialization

President Michael A. McRobbie has set a vision for Indiana University to further advance the frontiers of knowledge, making transformative contributions both to the economic welfare of our state and to the well-being of humanity at large. The new IUIC represents a significant milestone in efforts to advance this vision by enhancing technology commercialization efforts in Bloomington.

“The Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (IURTC) will manage the new IUIC and facilitate interaction between public research and private entrepreneurship,” says IURTC President Tony Armstrong. IURTC also manages IU’s highly successful incubator on the Central Canal in downtown Indianapolis.

Providing Space for Start-up Companies

As a business incubator, the Bloomington facility will provide office and lab space for start-up companies, as well as assistance with business development, intellectual property protection, and trademark expertise. Start-up companies in the new facility will also have access to extensive resources on the Bloomington campus.

“The Indiana University Innovation Center will have a direct impact on our local economy, offering employment opportunities in the community, as well as far-reaching economic impact as start-up companies in the incubator mature and expand their activities,” says Armstrong.

Stephan notes that while the launch of new companies provides jobs and stimulus to Indiana’s economy, IU also benefits from business start-ups and licensing based on university research. “A number of these ventures are already generating a revenue stream for IU,” he says, “and research under way offers even greater potential to benefit the university and the state’s economy.”

The two-story center, located at 10th Street and the State Road 45/46 Bypass, complements IU’s other economic development activities around the city of Bloomington, including the university’s facilities in the Showers Building. “We’ve worked closely with Danise Alano, director of economic development for the city of Bloomington, and Ron Walker, president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, to create an incubator that enhances the community’s facilities and support for entrepreneurship,” says Armstrong.

IU Pervasive Technology Institute

The new IU Pervasive Technology Institute will occupy much of the first floor in the 40,000 square-foot center. The institute, funded by a recent $15 million award from the Lilly Endowment Inc., includes three research centers: the Digital Science Center, the Data to Insight Center, and the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. Other tenants include the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the IU Kelley School of Business, the IU School of Informatics, and IURTC offices.

The second floor will provide specially equipped wet-lab space that is ideal for bio and life science start-up companies. “There has been a shortage of wet-lab space in Bloomington for start-up companies,” says Armstrong, “so this space is designed specifically to fill that need.”

New Technology Corridor

The IUIC is the anchor for the new technology corridor that is developing at the 10th Street site and will extend north along the Highway 45/46 Bypass to the IU Cyclotron Facility. A range of life science and technology-based enterprises are locating in the area, including the new IU Data Center and the planned Cyber Infrastructure Building that will house many of the University Information Technology Services staff.

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