Lilly Endowment historically connected to Hoosier educational development

Last year’s IPCRES grant to IU was largest research grant to date from Lilly

In keeping with the wishes of the three founders, Lilly Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development.

Gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company remain the financial bedrock of the endowment. The endowment is, however, a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location.

The endowment affords special emphasis to projects that benefit young people, and that promote leadership and financial self-sufficiency in the nonprofit, charitable sector.

The Lilly family’s foremost priority was to help the people of their city and state build a better life. Although the endowment also supports efforts of national significance and an occasionally international project, it is primarily committed to its hometown and state. Lilly Endowment typically places among the top six foundations in the country when ranked according to asset values.

In September 1999, Lilly Endowment announced a $29.9 million grant to IU—one of the largest grants in support of research that the endowment had ever made to that point—for development of a world-class research initiative in some of the fundamental information technologies of the 21st century.

That five-year grant is enabling IU to pursue the Indiana Pervasive Computing Research (IPCRES) Initiative. Under the initiative, six world-class research laboratories are being established at IU in key areas that underpin the pervasive computing environment of the future. Participants are distinguished scientists—researchers of the highest international standing, as well as research groups among staff and graduate students—who will lead the IPCRES laboratories.

Pervasive computing is the increasingly powerful combination of high-speed computers and intelligent devices, ranging from scientific instruments to home appliances to on-line digital libraries, all completely interconnected by wired and wireless networks, and accessible anywhere in the world.