The groundbreaking of Heartland BioWorks’ headquarters is an important milestone for the initiative, for 16 Tech, and for Indiana’s life sciences economy.
You’ve heard what Heartland BioWorks means for our national competitiveness, Indiana’s economy and the future of biomanufacturing. What I want to share is why this project makes sense here in the 16 Tech Innovation District, and how this location is part of what makes this project, and its partnerships, so powerful.
Innovation districts are often defined by commercialization and startup activity.
Five years after opening, that foundation is here.
There are 350 entities that have a physical presence in 16 Tech today. We are recognized for the commercialization and translational power of the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, our first tenant, and the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences which is under construction. Partners at the IU School of Medicine and IU Health are not simply headquartered nearby but have an active presence in 16 Tech. In addition to Eli Lilly, we are home to companies like Cook Medical, all four of Indiana’s Tier 1 research universities, and dozens of startups working on new treatments, technologies and ways to improve health.
Yet, ideas do not become impact without people. And the discoveries that are happening will not be realized without talent to move them to production.
Just as a therapeutic has to advance through discovery and validation before it can be manufactured, so too must talent pathways begin long before a job is posted.
They begin when a student, a neighbor or an adult learner can see a career they may not have known existed. They are strengthened when these same learners receive hands-on training, connect with employers and understand how their skills can contribute to an industry that is changing lives.
This is why the mixed-use nature of 16 Tech matters in addition to the research and commercialization. The district creates multiple entry points — public spaces on the ground floors of buildings, destinations like the AMP Food Hall that is home to local businesses, affordable workspace for startups in the HqO Innovation Hub and affordable housing units in the Vanguard. Each of these pieces helps make 16 Tech more active, more accessible, and more connected to the community around us.
With this location, Heartland BioWorks joins a vibrant district and a neighborhood rich with entrepreneurial history. Its immediate neighbor is the Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2). And its doors will open directly onto Indiana Avenue, where Madam C.J. Walker’s legacy reminds us that manufacturing does more than create products — it creates skills, livelihoods and opportunity for others.
Today, we are making a statement: talent is not separate from innovation. It is central.
And that is why Heartland BioWorks makes sense, here, in 16 Tech, where discovery and opportunity are meant to reinforce one another.
We are grateful to the partners whose sustained commitment has made this moment possible. Public and philanthropic investment in 16 Tech, beginning in 2018 and continuing today, ensured a shovel ready site, and that readiness was a key to the success of Heartland BioWorks.
As the nonprofit steward of the district, we are proud to make this land available for Heartland BioWorks in service of our shared goal: strengthening Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem and expanding opportunity for more people.
Heartland BioWorks is joining 16 Tech at an exciting moment. With a majority of the district remaining to be built, our commitment is to keep growing — attracting companies, creating spaces for innovation and community, and strengthening the mixed-use environment that will help this project thrive.
Thank you to the leadership of ARI and Heartland Bioworks coalition. While many partners have already been named today, I want to especially thank BioCrossroads for their early and steady work in advancing this vision and in rallying the many partners who make up the coalition.
We are excited for what this project brings to 16 Tech, and most importantly what we can achieve, together.
