Indiana consortium wins funds to build medical research hub
WFIU |
By
Ethan Sandweiss
Published July 14, 2026 at 2:06 PM EDT
Aubrey Wright
/
WFIU/WTIU News
A group of Indiana research and business organizations led by Indiana University faculty is receiving funds from the National Science Foundation to build a musculoskeletal health research hub
The NSF IMPACT Engine in Indiana is one of ten regional teams to win anNSF Regional Innovation Engine award
IMPACT – which includes partners at Eli Lilly, Purdue University and the Regenstrief Institute alongside IU and others – is getting $15 million for the first two years of the program and may be eligible for up to $160 million over a decade
Besides federal funding, IU said its partners will provide $179 million
Funds became available through theCHIPS and Sciences Act co-sponsored by Indiana Senator Todd Young, which has led the federal governmentto pour millions into the state’s technology sectorsince 2022
The group hopes to train medical tech workers and launch startups across the state, which is already a hot spot for medical tech. It also plans to create a musculoskeletal dataset that it claims will be the world’s largest
IMPACT will be headquartered atIU LAB in Indianapolis, one of the university’srecent projects aimed at commercializing research
Increasing medical research, attracting investment in the state and aligning the university with corporate projects are goals in the university’s strategic plan,IU 2030
