$24M Heartland BioWorks Tech Hub Breaks Ground in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — A vacant plot of land on the near west side of Indianapolis is officially transforming into the epicenter of the Midwest’s biotechnology boom.
On Monday, U.S. Senator Todd Young joined an elite coalition of government, industry, and academic leaders to break ground on the Heartland BioWorks Headquarters. Located within downtown’s burgeoning 50-acre 16 Tech Innovation District, the $24.3 million, two-story facility will serve as the region’s first centralized biomanufacturing workforce training and innovation center.
When the 20,000-square-foot building opens its doors in mid-2027, it will act as a high-tech pipeline, rapidly equipping thousands of Hoosiers with the specialized skills needed to fuel Indiana’s rapidly expanding life sciences economy.
The facility’s construction is anchored by an $18.3 million federal grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). The funding was made possible through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, legislation that Senator Young famously co-authored.
“When I helped author and pass the CHIPS and Science Act, this is the kind of national impact I envisioned,” said Senator Young. “Heartland BioWorks is proving that the Midwest can lead the next generation of American innovation by developing the talent, technology, and partnerships needed to secure our nation’s economic and biosciences future.”
The federal investment is heavily backed by the private sector. Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company injected an additional $6 million into the project. Lilly’s investment is specifically earmarked to outfit the facility with state-of-the-art laboratory gear and pilot-scale process simulation equipment.
The timing is critical. Eli Lilly is currently constructing an enormous $18 billion research and manufacturing campus in Lebanon, Indiana—the largest single-site investment in company history—which alone will require 700 highly skilled biomanufacturing workers. Additionally, Governor Mike Braun recently committed $1 billion over the next decade to scale Indiana’s life sciences footprint, with the goal of creating 100,000 new jobs.
Inside the Factory of the Future
Designed by the architecture firm RATIO and operated by the Applied Research Institute (ARI), the facility at 1200 Indiana Avenue is designed to replicate the exact conditions of a modern pharmaceutical manufacturing plant.
The building will accommodate trainees looking for everything from entry-level positions to advanced technical certificates. It will house:
Upstream Processing Suites: Featuring cutting-edge bioreactors where microscopic cells are grown.
Downstream Processing Areas: Utilizing chromatography and ultrafiltration tools to isolate and purify medical components.
Parenteral Operations: High-tech simulation zones for the precise filling of sterile vials and syringes.
Beyond a classroom, the headquarters will act as an incubator for biotech startups. Early-stage innovators will have access to “scale-up” spaces, allowing them to test whether their laboratory discoveries can be mass-produced cost-effectively, bypassing the massive overhead costs usually required to bring a drug from the lab to the market.
By embedding the headquarters within the 16 Tech Innovation District, project leaders are intentionally bridging the gap between high-level science and local urban neighborhoods.
“Heartland BioWorks reflects exactly why 16 Tech exists: to bring partners and assets together in one place so innovation can move faster and opportunity can reach more people,” **said Emily Krueger, CEO of 16 Tech Community Corporation. “This project reflects the critical role talent plays in innovation and creates meaningful pathways to high-quality careers for residents.”
The new headquarters represents the crown jewel of Heartland BioWorks’ broader $51 million federal designation as an official Regional Technology and Innovation Hub. Out of hundreds of applicants nationwide, the Indiana-based consortium was one of only 12 elite hubs selected by the federal government to receive implementation funding.
“This facility brings together the workforce training, industry-grade infrastructure, and partner collaboration needed to support America’s biotechnology and biomanufacturing future,” said Andrew Kossack, CEO of the Applied Research Institute. “ARI is proud to lead this effort… and help position Indiana as a national engine for this critical sector.”
About Heartland BioWorks
Heartland BioWorks is a biomanufacturing Regional Technology and Innovation Hub designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Led by the Applied Research Institute (ARI), the consortium includes more than 130 industry, academic, community and government partners working to transform Central Indiana into a global leader in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. https://www.heartlandbioworks.com/home
