Press Release Samples
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gov. Holcomb announces new Purdue-Elanco Research Facility in newly-created OneHealth Innovation District
Purdue President Mung Chiang and Elanco CEO Jeff Simmons join Gov. Holcomb to unveil a globally recognized research facility at Indiana’s 2024 Global Economic Summit
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 23, 2024) – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced today that Purdue University will partner with Elanco Animal Health and become the newest addition to Indiana’s newly-created OneHealth Innovation District. The announcement was made at
Indiana’s 2024 Global Economic Summit after Purdue President Mung Chiang and Jeff Simmons, Elanco CEO, signed a shared memorandum of understanding with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to establish a globally recognized research innovation district dedicated to optimizing the health of people, animals, plants and the planet.
Purdue and Elanco have committed to develop a new shared-use facility on three acres in the OneHealth Innovation District near the future Elanco Global Headquarters on the western edge of the White River. The facility is designed to deliver and scale-up innovation where industry and academia can collaborate including office, wet lab and incubator space. This is in addition to the nearly complete 220,000 square foot corporate headquarters of Elanco Animal Health, with an expected opening date in the second quarter of 2025. Elanco also announced its commitment to purchase an additional 12 acres from to the north of its existing footprint for future expansion and the development of the Epicenter for Animal Health.
“The research facility will propel the state’s vision to anchor our regional technology hub as a key addition to the One Health Innovation District aimed at accelerating collaborative innovation in our life sciences,” Gov. Holcomb said. “The partnership marks a rare and noteworthy move wherein a global health company, a university and a government come together with a shared vision. The district will create an ecosystem that is focused on talent, applied research and innovation that can be sustained for generations to come.”
Developing the OneHealth Innovation District surrounding the new Elanco Global Headquarters presents a unique opportunity to enable a coordinated partnership between public, private, government, university and community that will attract and retain top talent and drive growth and development for downtown Indianapolis. One Health is recognized by scientific institutions including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being a preferred approach to solving for health issues where the interconnection between human, animal and plant science can help solve complex global health problems.
Elanco also announced several commitments to accelerate the OneHealth Innovation District, including a commitment to share technology development capacity in its current Indianapolis facility and eventually in the OneHealth Innovation District. Technical development facilities to bring an idea from proof of concept to pilot manufacturing and then to scale is a unique feature not offered in other animal health development areas and is often a major roadblock in bioscience innovation. Additionally, Elanco plans to contribute up to $2 million of initial funding to jumpstart a new Animal Health Venture Fund to support early-stage innovators, in close coordination with the IEDC to take advantage of available tools and programs that support start-up activity in this space.
“For life-changing innovations to move from idea to reality, they must grow in the right environment,’” said Jeff Simmons, Elanco President and CEO. “The many partners in the Indianapolis’ OneHealth Innovation District will set Indianapolis apart as an area where innovators will find a vast ecosystem of support, including one of the world’s leading universities, funding, lab space, collaboration with many other innovators and companies and most significantly shared technical development and pilot plant facilities to manufacture and scale innovations. We believe connecting innovators with access to world-class, state-of-the-art resources will help bring solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues facing people, animals and the environment. This is a key milestone in bringing to life our goal of creating an Animal Health Epicenter to reach the world’s animals from our new global headquarters in the heart of Indianapolis.”
The unique partnership is designed to increase the ability to prevent, predict, detect and respond to health threats. One Health integrated approaches are widely recognized as the new frontier in biosciences.
"Totality of Purdue to the totality of Indianapolis - that’s our pledge as the Indianapolis part of Purdue's main campus officially launches on July 1," said Purdue president Mung Chiang. "In the coming years, all programs at Purdue will find homes throughout our state’s capital city. Today’s announcement carries a special excitement for the partnership and the location. Purdue is excited to partner with Elanco and other collaborators to build out the ecosystem of OneHealth Innovation District, starting from the building announced and expanding to an entire district. Human health, animal health, plant health will be jointly advanced by the nation’s leading company and our state’s top ranked university."
The facility will help extend Purdue’s substantial research arm into the heart of Indianapolis, coinciding with the launch of the university’s urban extension, Purdue University in Indianapolis, on July 1. Research interests will include understanding of the microbiome, antimicrobial resistance, computational biology, comparative genomics and livestock sustainability, among others. Indianapolis is home to the biotech companies that are on the cutting edge of the revolution in animal health (Elanco), human health (Eli Lilly & Company) and plant health (Corteva).
Fulfilling Governor Holcomb’s Tech Hub Vision
This new announcement is yet another step forward to bring to fruition Governor Holcomb’s goal of developing a regional technology hub in Indiana. Following the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, through the newly constituted Applied Research Institute (ARI), Indiana stood up Heartland BioWorks and was designated as one of 31 Tech Hubs in October of last year by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The One Health Innovation District is part of that consortium, and any implementation funding from the EDA would support and greatly accelerate the District’s capability to translate innovative ideas into real-world products and job opportunities. With awards expected this summer, Heartland BioWorks now awaits word on whether it will be chosen for the next phase of funding that will invest another $50-$75M in five to 10 designated hubs around the country. This Regional Tech Hub Program was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act, which Indiana’s U.S. Senator Todd Young was a co-sponsor.
Purdue and Elanco in collaboration with Applied Research Institute, AgriNovus, BiomEdit and others are planning a OneHealth Summit for fall to showcase the ecosystem of capabilities and draw the first era of innovators to the OneHealth District.
ABOUT ELANCO
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders, and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, we are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on our local and global communities. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our Elanco Healthy Purpose™ Sustainability/ESG Initiatives – all to advance the health of animals, people, and the planet. Learn more at www.elanco.com.
ABOUT PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition for 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes —at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gov. Holcomb announces construction underway on the South Shore Double Track Project
$173 million in federal funding for commuter rail improvement
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. –
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced construction is moving forward on one of the largest public transit investments in Indiana’s history – double tracking of the South Shore Line from Michigan City to Gary.
This project, a prominent piece of Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda, adds nearly 18 miles of new track over a 26-mile corridor along the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s (NICTD) existing South Shore Line between Gary and Michigan City and makes multiple improvements to the existing line.
“The Double Track Project is transformative for Northwest Indiana and the positive impacts will be felt across the state,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This game changing project is a prime example of how Indiana is laser-focused on connecting people and businesses to our state’s exceptional quality of life, great communities, and pro-growth business environment.”
The Double Track Project includes 18 miles of new double track territory including a separated two-track right-of-way along two miles in Michigan City. The project will include replacing the current street-running tracks on 10th and 11th Streets, a new overhead contact system, 22 at-grade crossings, 20 culverts, platform upgrades at five stations and more than 1,400 parking spaces. The project will increase train frequency and drastically reduce travel time on the South Shore Line. Once the project is complete, service is planned to operate every 16 minutes during weekday peak periods and approximately every 75 minutes during weekday off-peak periods and evenings.
The project will improve safety along the entire alignment, especially in Michigan City, where the new alignment will remove the street-running tracks, eliminate 20 at-grade crossings, and provide a safer environment for passengers boarding trains.
Construction is expected to finish in early 2024 with passenger service starting in later in the year.
In addition to the Double Track project, Gov. Holcomb has made the West Lake Corridor extension of the South Shore Line a Next Level Agenda priority. Combined, the Double Track and West Lake Corridor projects are projected to attract approximately $2.7 billion in private investment to Northwest Indiana, and result in over 6,000 new jobs and $5 billion in economic impact by 2048.
Federal, state, regional and local officials joined Gov. Holcomb today to officially break ground on the Double Track project. The nearly $650 million project is funded through a mix of federal, state and local dollars with $173 million in federal funding coming from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program and another $24 million coming from the American Rescue Program.
“The NICTD Double Track Project is an example of planning and building for the future, today,” said Kelley Brookins, Region V FTA Administrator. “The economic value of transit to American families, particularly now that gas is so expensive and to businesses who will see more consumers and employees using transit cannot be understated. What you are doing here is just the sort of transformative thinking President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg envision. Expand the South Shore Line -- a project that improves access, expands opportunity, and creates jobs -- is one very important part of this expansion.”
Gov. Holcomb, Indiana’s Congressional delegation, members of the Indiana General Assembly, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and local elected leaders worked with NICTD to provide funding and leadership for the project. The state has committed more than $340 million, locals have partnered to commit more than $80 million and NICTD has committed up to $30 million.
“Today’s groundbreaking is the product of years of hard work to make the South Shore Line Double Track Project a reality. This game-changing infrastructure priority will benefit Hoosiers in Northwest Indiana for years to come, with an expected economic impact of $5 billion by 2048 and the creation of more than 6,000 new jobs. Thank you to NICTD, Governor Holcomb, Congressman Visclosky, and the countless community leaders who played a role in helping us reach this pivotal moment,” said Senator Todd Young.
“I thank Gov. Holcomb and every official and person who has made this day possible. I would stress though that our work is not done,” said retired Congressman Pete Visclosky, current chairman of the Gary/Chicago International Airport. “Now we must make every effort to ensure that the development potential of the South Shore Rail Line is maximized in an economically and socially positive fashion. We must also begin today the necessary work to further expand the South Shore Rail Line southeast to Valparaiso and further south in Lake County.”
“The South Shore Double Track project will advance transportation across Northern Indiana, improving efficiency, strengthening safety, and boosting economic development in the South Bend region,” said Representative Jackie Walorski. “Today’s groundbreaking is a huge milestone in bringing this vital project another step closer to the finish line. I’m thrilled to join Senators Young and Braun, Governor Holcomb, and other local, state, and federal officials in celebrating this progress and working together to advance innovative solutions that will strengthen our communities.”
“Thank you to Governor Holcomb, the Indiana General Assembly, NICTD, and my predecessor Congressman Pete Visclosky, for their tireless advocacy and relentless pursuit to bring this project to fruition,” said Representative Frank Mrvan. “This transformational achievement will reduce travel times, increase train frequency, improve public safety, and promote economic development in our industrial corridor. I look forward to seeing how this success will be enjoyed by all individuals and families who will use the improved passenger rail to recreate and work throughout the Chicagoland area and South Bend.”
“Double tracking the South Shore Line unlocks the true potential of this railroad and opens up vastly improved commuter rail service from northwest Indiana to Chicago and back,” said Michael Noland, president of the South Shore Line. “Reliability, more frequent service options, reduced time to market and safety enhancements are vital to the long-term success and will result in tremendous economic growth. We can’t thank our partners at the FTA enough as they have been with us at every step of this process. And profound gratitude to Governor Holcomb and our local, state and federal delegation for their support and leadership to get us to this great day.”
“After more than six years of effort, both the Double Track project and West Lake Corridor, a brand new eight-mile extension of the South Shore line running from Hammond to Dyer along the Indiana-Illinois state line, have been fully funded with a combination of local, state and federal dollars,” said Sherri Ziller, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. “The expansion will give Hoosiers the chance to compete for higher paying jobs in Chicago and is expected to attract more than 11,000 new residents and create thousands of jobs throughout the region. This is the largest economic development project in the State’s history and an unmatched opportunity for Northwest Indiana.”
Additional press release samples: