$50 million to INGEN!

INGEN was launched in December 2000 with a $105 million grant from Lilly Endowment, the largest grant ever made by the Indianapolis-based philanthropic organization and the largest single grant ever received by IU.

The goal is to propel IU forward as a world-class biomedical research institution and to serve as the foundation for a robust life sciences enterprise. The endowment presented the $50 million grant with the stipulation that it be used in areas of greatest need involving INGEN.

“By helping IU attract top-flight researchers and strengthen its role in this highly competitive area, this grant will build the intellectual capital of our state, so vital to Indiana’s future prosperity,” said N. Clay Robbins, president of the endowment. “We also are encouraged about the promise the INGEN programs hold to address a broad range of health challenges facing people all across the world.”

“The grant also should provide important educational programs for Indiana residents desiring to take advantage of the exciting professional opportunities that should result from INGEN,” said Sara Cobb, vice president for education at the endowment.

“An investment such as this one by the Lilly Endowment is a magnet for growth in the life sciences,” said IU President Gerald Bepko. “We can continue to establish cutting-edge facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, which will help us attract talented researchers. IU is extremely appreciative of the confidence the endowment is showing in us to invest in the future through the Indiana Genomics Initiative.”

According to Dr. Craig Brater, dean of the IU School of Medicine (IUSM), the most immediate need on the Indianapolis campus for the continuing success of INGEN is research space.

“The individuals we are recruiting are highly sought after, and one of the deciding issues for any good researcher is the quality and amount of lab space available to them,” Brater said. “These faculty comprise the intellectual capital that is the fundamental ingredient for creating the very best of medical education and for training the future work force and clinicians of our state. We believe strongly that genomics research will some day make it possible to treat a cancer patient with a therapy that destroys only cancer cells, leaving healthy tissue unharmed or, give a remedy to halt a patient’s Alzheimer’s disease at the same time we give a diagnosis.”

While the university has yet to determine specifically how the endowment’s latest grant will be used, some of the funds will be used to support INGEN programs on the Bloomington campus.

Kumble Subbaswamy, dean of the IU College of Arts and Sciences in Bloomington, agreed that space needs are a major factor in recruiting quality researchers. “This grant will allow us to expand and outfit the Multidisciplinary Science Building on the Bloomington campus to accommodate INGEN-related research programs and personnel,” he said.

IU has made great strides in developing its genomics and proteomics strengths with the purchase of high-tech equipment and the recruitment of several national biotechnology leaders. The initial grant allowed IU to build on its existing resources in the basic sciences and information technology, including recruitment of 23 new researchers at the Indianapolis and Bloomington campuses.

The grant has enabled IU and its medical school to create and expand advanced laboratory research and service facilities in proteomics, imaging and other advanced technologies important to genomics research and education.

“We realize the life sciences initiative mandates a substantial investment in facilities and people,” said Brater. “To be a success, this has to be a cohesive effort on the part of government, private industry and the philanthropic community. The reality is that no single source will be able to meet all the needs, but this grant will allow IU to leverage dollars from other sectors to the best advantage.”

Much work remains to further advance the life sciences mission in Indiana to be nationally competitive. IUSM recently completed a space analysis showing that 345,000 square feet of new laboratory space is needed to house INGEN projects. The IUB campus plans to significantly increase faculty involved in life science research and has identified the need for an additional 160,000 square feet of lab space, said Subbaswamy.

IUSM’s other medical education centers at Bloomington, Gary, Evansville, Terre Haute, Lafayette, South Bend, Muncie and Fort Wayne will benefit from the endowment’s largesse, said Brater. These campuses comprise the “spokes” of a biomedical wheel with the Indianapolis campus as its hub.