Eli Lilly Commits $92M+ to Purdue University to Establish Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Grant Program – Endpoints News

While Eli Lilly has invested heavily in its manufacturing infrastructure in the state of Indiana, it is also making huge investments in educational institutions.

West Lafayette, Indiana-based Purdue University announced Thursday that Eli Lilly is committing a total of $92.5 million to the institution to establish a new pharmaceutical manufacturing grant program as well as renew strategic research collaborations between Purdue and Lilly.

The agreement will see 42.5 million dollars go towards establishing the scholarship program which will offer 75 to 100 students a year full tuition with a guaranteed internship or collaboration in the company.

The university also states that “priority access” will be given to students who are “underrepresented in Purdue’s student population,” have overcome socioeconomic or educational challenges, or are the first generation in their family to attend college. The first scholarships for the program will be offered in the autumn of next year.

“As the number of people who can benefit from our innovative medicines continues to grow, we are investing to advance critical research and build a more diverse pipeline of talent in Indiana. Together with Purdue, we can help keep the state’s best and brightest in Indiana, and advance Lilly’s ability to make life better for millions of people,” Lilly CEO and Purdue graduate David Ricks said in a statement.

For the research portion of the agreement, the university will receive $50 million over the next five years for research focusing on genetic medicine, intrathecal delivery and nanoparticle delivery. The collaboration stems from another strategic research collaboration made in 2017, which was at an initial commitment of 50 million dollars from the pharmacoker.

Purdue has focused on pharmaceutical manufacturing quite a bit recently, as the institution recently received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate cost-effective zero-waste initiatives for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

For Lilly, this move comes when they make big investments in the backyard. Earlier this year, the company announced it is investing $2.1 billion in two new manufacturing sites at Indiana’s LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District in Boone County, northwest of Lilly’s headquarters in Indianapolis. The two new facilities will expand Lilly’s manufacturing network for active ingredients and new therapeutic modalities, including genetic medicines.