State business, academic and community leaders establish Applied Research Institute to generate tech transfer, commercialization activity

A new organization has been established by leaders in Indiana government, research universities, industry, and the largest military asset to generate technology transfer and commercialization in military defense and other sectors of the state’s economy.

The Applied Research Institute provides streamlined access to more than $1 billion in state-of-the-art laboratories, equipment and research facilities across Indiana including Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division; Indiana University; Purdue University; and the Battery Innovation Center.

The ARI board of directors held its first meeting in Bloomington on Aug. 31. Among the board members are Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and IU President Michael A. McRobbie. During its meeting, the board approved up to $3.5 million over the next two years for its first major project: the development of trusted microelectronics, technology that is immune to a wide variety of emerging hardware- and software-based attacks, is resistant to counterfeit, and has applications in nearly all electronic devices.

“The Applied Research Institute will activate economic growth in Indiana by combining and leveraging our state’s military, academic and industry resources,” Holcomb said. “This partnership has strong potential to serve as the national model for regional development that benefits local and state economies.”

In 2015, to help launch the ARI, Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded a grant of $16,225,000 to Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s foundation, CICP Foundation Inc., which supports the CICP’s charitable and educational programs and activities. Of that grant funding, $15 million was targeted to benefit the ARI initiative. Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of Energy Systems Network, a CICP initiative, has been engaged with key stakeholders coordinating the formation of ARI as well as in the development of a strategic plan for Southwest Central Indiana. The grant was one of three Lilly Endowment grants totaling $42 million for organizations to enhance economic development efforts in the 11-county region. ARI will be working closely with Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc. and Radius Indiana in a collaborative effort to continue to strengthen the region.

More information about the Applied Research Institute is available online.