Heartland BioWorks

Manufacturing biotechnology innovation in human, animal, and plant science

Heartland BioWorks is a consortium of Indiana stakeholders pursuing a Regional Tech Hub designation through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program. The EDA plans to designate approximately 20 Regional Tech Hubs nationwide in the Fall of 2023.”

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Indiana leads the nation in pharmaceutical exports

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Indiana is the only state in the nation to manufacture all three COVID-19 vaccines

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One of the top three states in exports for all life sciences products – pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and agbiosciences — for more than a decade

Hub Members

Indiana’s unique mix of industry leaders, R1 research institutions, labor representatives and committed P3 partners will accelerate Indianapolis to become the de facto nexus of bio manufacturing.

Established Biotech Industry

Indiana already has a well-established biotech industry, with companies such as Eli Lilly, Cook Medical, and Roche Diagnostics having a strong presence in the state. This provides a strong foundation for new companies to build on.

Strong Research Universities

Indiana is home to several top-tier research universities, including Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame. These institutions have a strong track record of research and development in fields such as life sciences, engineering, and medicine.

Skilled Workforce

Indiana has a highly skilled workforce with experience in advanced manufacturing, engineering, and other related fields. The state has a long history of manufacturing, which has helped develop a deep talent pool of skilled workers.

Established Infrastructure

Indiana has an extensive transportation infrastructure that includes major highways, railroads, and airports. This makes it easy to transport raw materials and finished products to and from manufacturing facilities.

Business-Friendly Environment

Indiana is known for its business-friendly environment, including a low cost of living, low taxes, and a relatively low regulatory burden. The state has been consistently ranked as one of the best places to do business in the country.

Proximity to Major Markets

Indiana is located in the heart of the Midwest, giving it easy access to major markets such as Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. This makes it an ideal location for companies looking to distribute their products across the region.

16 Tech Innovation District

The 16 Tech Innovation District is a 50-acre community dedicated to fostering world-changing innovation and economic opportunity. Located in the heart of Indianapolis, 16 Tech is a fast-growing physical space that brings together entrepreneurs, academics, startups, corporations, and community members to collaborate and problem solve.

Why Indiana?

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed America’s supply chain vulnerability and reliance on the off-shore manufacturing of life sciences products. Indiana is home to pioneers in human, plant, and animal health – all of which are essential to the nation’s ability to care for and feed its people. Future advances in each of these critical sectors will center on the core sciences found in biological product development – the process of building new biomolecular products and the further development of nascent modalities. These interrelated pathways must innovate in parallel. Currently, the research to rapidly advance manufacturing capability is too reliant on an ecosystem of decentralized innovation.

With a focused investment in the Indiana biotechnology manufacturing ecosystem, the Economic Development Administration can tether together disconnected capabilities to expedite the creation of a sector-agnostic biotechnology manufacturing hub in the densest advanced manufacturing state in the nation on a per capita basis. The central concentration of global behemoths like Eli Lilly, Corteva, and Elanco, alongside world-class R1 research institutes like Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame, make Indiana a prime location to spur next-generation innovation and mitigate the national security risks currently posed by the United States’ over-reliance on off-shore life sciences manufacturing.

In Indiana,

1,116

life sciences new patents were granted in 2022

new products were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Regional Tech Hub program?

The Regional Tech Hub program was created in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which was co-sponsored by Indiana’s own U.S. Senator Todd Young and signed into law by President Joe Biden in August of 2022. In the wake of the legislation’s passage, Senator Young wrote in an op-ed that the CHIPS and Science Act “supercharges funding of basic scientific research and significantly expands STEM education opportunities. And it will establish Regional Tech Hubs across our country to help launch innovative companies, revive American manufacturing, and lay the foundation for new jobs to jumpstart our local communities.” (See https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-releases-op-ed-on-chips-and-science-act.)
According to the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which is implementing the program, “the Tech Hubs Program will make place-based economic development investments to drive technology- and innovation-centric growth by strengthening a region’s capacity to commercialize, manufacture, and deploy critical technologies. This program aims to invest in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to become globally competitive, within approximately ten years, in the technologies and industries of the future.”
For more detailed questions on the structure of the Regional Tech Hubs program, please visit the EDA’s website found at: https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/regional-technology-and-innovation-hubs/faq.

How could a Regional Tech Hub benefit Indiana?

Indiana has strong assets in the biologic product development space across industry, academia, government, and non-traditional stakeholders. A Regional Tech Hub designation, and the funding that follows, could help dismantle the silos that currently exist between these partners, allowing for greater collaboration and accelerated innovation.
Indiana stakeholders have described the need for more dedicated manufacturing operations and innovation space. The Regional Tech Hubs program will catalyze further production, which will foster innovation and encourage more businesses to start and grow in Indiana.

Why is ARI leading Indiana’s application for a Regional Tech Hub?

In partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and under the direction of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, ARI is a neutral third-party innovation orchestrator and does not have vested interests in the Regional Tech Hub program other than to foster the continued growth of Indiana’s innovation economy. This is a critical requirement of any entity tasked with leading a program of this kind. And, with nearly six years successfully pursuing, winning, and executing complex, highly-competitive federal opportunities, ARI is uniquely positioned in the marketplace to lead this initiative.

How do I get involved in Indiana’s application for the Regional Tech Hub Program?

To formally engage with the Indiana Biotechnology Manufacturing Hub, please fill out the intake form located at: https://theari.us/initiatives/heartland-bioworks-hub.
For general interest or questions, feel free to contact the team at techhub@theari.us.

Why biotech manufacturing?

ARI, in coordination with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, conducted two parallel analyses of Indiana’s assets to determine what technologies would have the biggest positive economic impact on Indiana and Hoosiers, as well as position the state for a successful Regional Tech Hub application.
The results of each effort reflected Indiana’s vast expertise in both life sciences (Eli Lilly, Elanco, Corteva, Catalent, Cook, Roche, OrthoWorx) and advanced manufacturing (Indiana is the densest state in manufacturing per capita).
Due to its central geography and the strength of its R1 research institutions – and more importantly, its rich history in manufacturing innovation, quality control and regulation – Indiana has an opportunity to emerge as a national leader in the development side of life sciences research and development.

Where would Indiana’s tech hub be located?

The EDA dictates that each Hub will need to select a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and/or Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA) that is tightly interconnected as the basis of the Hub. The EDA does permit some activities related to the Hub to occur outside of that geographic area, but the core of the Hub’s activity will be located within the selected statistical area. ARI is currently engaging stakeholders to select the geographic area that will best position the Hub for global competitiveness in biotech manufacturing.

Indiana University School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the country with more than 1,400 medical students.

BioCrossroads is Indiana’s initiative to grow the life sciences, a public-private collaboration that supports the region’s research and corporate strengths while encouraging new business development.

Purdue University features the nation’s top graduate Agricultural & Biological Engineering program for 11 years straight, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Economic output of the state’s life science industry was

$77 Billion

driven by more than 2,700 companies.

Increase in the number of companies in 2022 over 2021.