Courtney Kerr, Author at The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

Students Apply Data Science Skills to Real-World Energy Challenges at TechPoint’s First Xtern Challenge, Hosted by MISO

Courtney Kerr2025-11-03T13:37:07-05:00October 30, 2025|

TechPoint’s first-ever Xtern Challenge brought together Indiana’s top student talent for a hands-on, data-driven competition hosted by MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). The event invited teams to apply their technical and analytical skills to a real-world problem facing one of the nation’s most critical industries: maintaining a reliable and cost-effective energy grid. The new program builds on TechPoint’s mission to expand work-based learning opportunities that connect students with industry partners and help them gain practical experience solving challenges that matter to Indiana’s economy. What is the Xtern Challenge? Launched in Fall 2025, the Xtern Challenge is a series of hackathons, design sprints, and case competitions where students collaborate on real-world business problems designed by Indiana companies and work alongside industry mentors. These events give students a chance to apply their classroom knowledge to practical challenges while learning new tools, gaining feedback from professionals, and building their experience to [...]

Heartland BioWorks headquarters planned for 16 Tech

Courtney Kerr2025-10-30T11:25:16-04:00October 30, 2025|

A conceptual rendering of the Heartland BioWorks headquarters at 16 Tech in Indianapolis. (Rendering Provided/Applied Research Institute) This article was originally published by Inside Indiana Business. Click here to read the original article. The Applied Research Institute in Bloomington plans to locate the headquarters for Heartland BioWorks at the 16 Tech Innovation District in downtown Indianapolis, the institute announced Monday. Heartland BioWorks was designated as a federal technology hub by the U.S. Department of Commerce in October 2023 to support growth in biomanufacturing innovation and workforce development. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot facility at 16 Tech is being designed to serve not only as the hub’s headquarters but also a workforce training and innovation center, ARI said. The $24.3 million facility is being funded with $18.3 million from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, as well as $6 million investment from [...]

Innovation Grove at Rose-Hulman: Advancing Indiana’s Tech and Entrepreneurial Future

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:34:28-05:00October 28, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology—ranked the nation’s No. 1 undergraduate engineering college by U.S. News & World Report for 27 consecutive years—has begun construction on Innovation Grove, a new entrepreneurial district designed to fuel collaboration, innovation, and economic growth in Indiana’s Wabash Valley. Part of the $102.3 million Trails to Innovation initiative, Innovation Grove will bring together students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and industry partners in a dynamic environment that blends hands-on learning, real-world engineering through Rose-Hulman Ventures, and partnerships with Union Health and the Indiana Orthopedic Institute. The district will feature advanced lab spaces, a new surgical center for hip and knee replacements, renewable energy initiatives including a 5MW solar farm, and collaborative areas for startups and [...]

Fueling Indiana’s Future Innovators – Butler University

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:31:58-05:00October 28, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. Credit: Butler University From student start-ups to statewide partnerships, Butler University is building a connected ecosystem where ideas grow, leaders emerge, and innovation thrives. At Butler University, entrepreneurship is more than a business concept—it’s a campus-wide commitment to imagination, problem-solving, and possibility. From student-run ventures and pitch competitions to alumni investor networks and statewide collaborations, Butler is cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders who are shaping Indiana’s innovation economy. “Our goal is to ensure that students graduate with more than a degree,” Craig Caldwell, Dean of the Lacy School of Business (LSB), said. “They leave with the confidence, experience, and leadership skills to solve problems, build businesses, [...]

Conexus Indiana opens nominations for Rising 30 2026

Courtney Kerr2025-11-11T10:00:31-05:00October 27, 2025|

Annual awards program celebrates cohort of emerging leaders shaping the future of Indiana’s manufacturing and logistics industries INDIANAPOLIS – October 27, 2025 – Conexus Indiana has opened nominations for the Rising 30 Class of 2026. The sixth annual Rising 30 awards program highlights young leaders who are making a significant impact on Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics (AML) sector and shaping the future of the industry.As part of Conexus Indiana’s mission to position Indiana as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics, the Rising 30 program was designed to celebrate the next generation of innovators, change-makers and leaders who are advancing the state’s AML ecosystem. The program also encourages pathways to success in these vital industries, which employ more than 800,000 Hoosiers and represent a third of the state’s gross domestic product.“Indiana’s young professionals are already reshaping our manufacturing [...]

Rooted in Legacy, Focused on the Future: Ball State’s Enduring Commitment to Entrepreneurship and Community Impact

Courtney Kerr2025-11-17T08:30:53-05:00October 27, 2025|

This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here. When the five Ball brothers moved their glass manufacturing business to Muncie, Ind., in the late 19th century, they weren’t just investing in a place—they were investing in people. In 1917, they purchased and donated the land and facilities of a defunct teacher training school to the state, laying the foundation for what would become Ball State University. But their gift was more than real estate. It was a declaration that education, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy could—and should—work in harmony to strengthen communities. That belief has guided Ball State for more than a century. Today, the University continues to foster a culture of innovation rooted in those values, preparing students to [...]

Recorder Media Group announces 2026 Champions of Impact Award nominees

Courtney Kerr2025-10-24T14:27:53-04:00October 24, 2025|

This article was originally published by the Indianapolis Recorder. Click here to read the original article. Recorder Media Group has announced the honorees for the 19th Annual Champions of Impact Awards. All winners will be formally recognized during the awards dinner on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the JW Marriott Indianapolis from 5:30-8:30 p.m. EST. This annual celebration honors individuals and organizations whose leadership, service, and innovation have brought about meaningful change and propelled communities forward. Now in its 19th year, the Champions of Impact Awards recognize individuals and organizations whose work fosters lasting change in business, health, education, culture and community leadership. This annual gathering brings together trailblazers from across the state to recognize those who step forward, challenge limits and move their communities forward through their actions and examples. “I am proud to see the Champions of [...]

16 Tech reports 100 new companies joined the district in the last year

Courtney Kerr2025-10-30T11:24:16-04:00October 24, 2025|

This article was originally published by Inside Indiana Business. Click here to read the original article. Stories of entrepreneurship and discovery continue to rise at the 16 Tech Innovation District in downtown Indianapolis. According to an economic impact report released this week, the district now has 300 companies—up from 200 just a year ago. “Much of that has come from growth in our coworking and makerspace that 16 Tech owns and operates, and that alone has more than 400 individuals who are in it,” 16 Tech CEO Emily Krueger told Inside INdiana Business. “It can represent everything from a startup company or a small business who are members to corporate innovation teams like [Eli] Lilly’s digital health team that’s also located in the building.” A total of 1,200 employees work in the district across research, tech and creative industries. That [...]

IU breaks ground on IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences

Courtney Kerr2025-10-22T10:57:38-04:00October 22, 2025|

This article was originally published by IU News on October 21, 2025. Click here to read the original article. Indiana University has broken ground on the future home of the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences, or IU LAB, a central part of IU’s commitment to position Indiana as a global hub for bioscience innovation, talent and commercialization. The new facility in the 16 Tech Innovation District will serve as the home of a first-of-its-kind academic-industry initiative that is harnessing the power of IU’s $1 billion research enterprise to strengthen Indiana’s $99 billion life sciences economy. IU leaders were joined by industry and community partners from around the state on Tuesday to break ground on the five-story, 150,000-square-foot facility, which is slated to open in 2027. “Through initiatives like IU LAB, we are leveraging IU’s world-class research enterprise and cultivating the next generation [...]

Plug and Play Lifetech Announces Inaugural Batch of 12 Innovative Startups in Indianapolis

Courtney Kerr2025-10-22T13:44:50-04:00October 20, 2025|

This article was originally published by The AI Journal on October 20, 2025. Click here to read the original article. Plug and Play, the world's largest innovation platform, today announced the 12 companies selected for the inaugural batch of its Lifetech accelerator program in Indianapolis. The cohort draws from a global talent pool and represents startup companies from eight states and three countries. Over the next four months, these founders will collaborate with Plug and Play's Lifetech partners, including IU LAB, BioCrossroads, IU Health, and Indiana University, to accelerate the future of healthcare and life sciences. The program will culminate with an expo event in February 2026, at which the graduating startups will pitch their solutions to an audience of corporate executives, investors, industry leaders, and the community. "The IU LAB is proud to partner with Plug and Play, [...]

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