Last week, Indiana University economic development leaders participated in a defense industry roundtable discussion with U.S. Sen. Todd Young. The event was hosted by the Crane Regional Defense Group at WestGate@Crane Technology Park.
IU Vice President for University Relations Michael Huber and Joe Carley, IU director of economic development, were among 60 representatives from Indiana’s public and private sectors who convened to talk about the continued transformation of WestGate@Crane into a major hub of research innovation, entrepreneurship and educational programs in the 11-county Indiana Uplands region. The 750-acre park is located just outside the gates to Naval Support Activity Crane, which is located approximately 40 minutes southwest of IU’s Bloomington campus. NSA Crane, the third-largest naval installation in the world, is home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, a research lab and leader within the Department of Defense in microelectronics, artificial intelligence, hypersonics and other emerging technologies.

As part of the discussion, Sen. Young described the potential major impact of the recently enacted CHIPS and Science Act, which will provide a historic investment to boost U.S. manufacturing of semiconductors, on the development of WestGate@Crane and the surrounding region. Young was the co-sponsor of the $280 billion bipartisan bill, which IU was one of the first universities to champion and support. He also outlined several of his top priorities related to investing in core research and emerging technologies and engaging the private sector to explore how to implement new prototypes.
Huber and Carley were among a select group of attendees invited to provide brief overviews of their organizations and how their current initiatives are contributing to the development of Crane and the Uplands region, where IU continues to be deeply and actively engaged in working with local, state and federal leaders in igniting a dynamic innovation ecosystem.
IU has played a leading role in the ambitious, large-scale vision to transform WestGate@Crane into one of most important mixed-use research destinations for America’s robust defense industry. Carley currently serves as interim CEO of the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation, a nonprofit research foundation, established in 2021, that is leading the park’s long-term strategy around cutting-edge technology development, talent, infrastructure and industry partnerships.
That strategy has helped fuel the creation of a new, $384 million microelectronics campus at WestGate@Crane. Last fall, Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers joined local officials and business executives in breaking ground on a microelectronics packaging and testing facility, which has already secured four semiconductor companies that will anchor the development. Together, these companies plan to create up to 549 new jobs with an average salary of near $100,000 in the coming years.
IU also continues to contribute talent, expertise and other resources toward ensuring WestGate@Crane builds upon NSWC Crane’s increasing role as a national leader in its core focus areas of electronic warfare, expeditionary systems and strategic missions. IU and NSWC Crane recently extended a strategic partnership, initiated in 2012 and renewed in 2017, that will ensure a continuation of high-impact educational and research collaborations in, among other key areas, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, technology transfer, systems hardware, quantum computing and regional economic development.
The signing came a year after IU renewed a longstanding Educational Partnership Agreement with NSA Crane. Established in 2011, the multiyear agreement, signed by IU President Pamela Whitten during her inaugural visit to the naval installation, enables opportunities for IU students, faculty and staff to collaborate with Crane personnel on sustainability and conservation strategies, as well as on research projects in AI, machine learning and other areas in service to national defense.