Innovation Districts in Indiana's BioHeartland
Central Indiana’s geography of innovation can accelerate local discovery, invention, investment, and growth.
Indiana’s BioHeartland is a place where breakthrough science creates real world impact. And it’s just getting started.
Generational investments are being made in the region’s capacity to innovate—often in concentrated geographies like the 16 Tech Innovation District or the Fishers Life Sciences and Innovation Corridor.
Now the region must make this geography of innovation easier to navigate and use. That’s why CICP worked with the Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID) to explore how to unlock opportunities for greater impact.
Central Indiana's Unique Advantage
GIID finds Central Indiana to have a strong innovation foundation on which to grow.
Central Indiana is an innovation powerhouse
We exceed national averages in research, invention, and economic output from advanced industries.
There is a rare discovery-to-delivery system
Within one metro area, we can invent, make, and move products to customers around the world.
Biosciences are the most prominent example
Human, plant, and animal health prove this discovery-to-delivery system, which also includes aerospace, automotive, and other industries.
Technologies enable cross-industry innovation
AI and high-performance computing, advanced chemistry and materials, and cyber-physical systems enable innovation in biosciences and beyond.
The region has what's needed to do more
Innovation districts enable more collaborative approaches to discovery, which can unlock even more.
A "constellation" strategy can enable this
Central Indiana’s innovation districts can drive economic growth to new heights across the entire region.
CICP partnered with the Global Institute on Innovation Districts to explore how we might unlock opportunities for greater impact.
Explore Central Indiana's Innovation Districts
16 Tech Innovation District
Location: Indianapolis
Lead Organization: 16 Tech Development Corporation
Size: 50 acres
Industry Focus: life sciences, advanced manufacturing, tech
Launch Date: 2020
While 16 Tech has space to grow, it is well under development. The HqO Building (home to the AMP and Machyne makerspace), Innovation Building 1 (home to IBRI and CICP), and the Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2) are open and occupied. Work is underway to build both the Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Bioscience (IU LAB) and the Heartland BioWorks headquarters. Residential opportunities are now available at the Vanguard at 16 Tech.
Indy Health District
Location: Indianapolis
Lead Organization: IU Health
Size: 1,500 acres
Launch Date: 2024
The Indy Health District spans from the new IU Health campus into nearby neighborhoods. While not a typical industry-focused innovation district, the Indy Health District aims to enhance community well-being by improving access to a range of services, including advanced technology, nutritious food options, and workforce development, fostering a healthier, more vibrant area.
Innovation Mile
Location: Noblesville
Lead Organization: City of Noblesville
Size: 600 acres
Industry Focus: life sciences, health tech, advanced manufacturing, wholesale trade, and professional services
Launch Date: 2025
Anchored by the Arena at Innovation Mile—home of the Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers’ G League basketball team—Innovation Mile is ramping up development. The Indiana Orthopedic Institute became the first tenant in 2025 and additional tenets, including Caterpillar and USA Gymnastics, are moving in soon.
Fishers Life Sciences and Innovation Corridor
Location: Fishers
Lead Organization: City of Fishers
Size: 70 acres (for the Fishers Life Sciences Park)
Industry Focus: life sciences
Launch Date: 2020
The 70-acre Fishers Life Sciences Park anchors the broader Life Sciences and Innovation Corridor that spans this fast-growing suburb. As the home of INCOG BioPharma Services, the Stevanato Group, Genezen Labs, Quantigen Genomic Services, Telex Pharmaceuticals, and others, Fishers is an established hub of Central Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem.
LEAP Lebanon Innovation District
Location: Lebanon
Lead Organization: Indiana Economic Development Corporation
Size: 9,000+ acres
Industry Focus: advanced manufacturing, mixed-use, and corporate campus
Lebanon’s LEAP District is intended to situate advanced industries between Indianapolis and Purdue’s West-Lafayette campus. Eli Lilly & Company has announced plans to invest over $13 billion across 200 acres. This investment includes construction of the Lilly Medicine Foundry—an advanced manufacturing research facility designed to bring together research, process development, and clinical-scale manufacturing under one roof – a first-of-its-kind capability in the pharmaceutical industry. With construction well-underway, Lilly is targeting operations to begin at its LEAP site in 2027.
OneHealth Innovation District
Location: Indianapolis
Lead Organization: Elanco
Size: 50+ acres
Industry Focus: animal, human, and planetary health
Launch Date: 2025
Elanco’s global headquarters anchors the OneHealth Innovation District, which aims to bring together researchers at the intersection of human, animal, plant and environmental health. Elanco’s headquarters is also home to OneHealth Studio powered by Alloy Partners with the goal of creating and scaling new companies. The long-term vision for the district is focused on creating opportunities for corporate innovators, academic researchers, students, investors and government leaders to advance science and inspire innovation.
State Road 9 Innovation Corridor
Location: Hancock County
Lead Organization: Hancock County Economic Development Council
Industry Focus: agriculture, health, and bioscience
Launch Date: coming soon
With support from Hancock Health, NineStar Connect, and others, the Hancock County Economic Development Council is leading planning efforts to leverage Elanco’s former Greenfield headquarters to anchor “lab-to-field-to-market” ecosystem—one that connects research, entrepreneurship, and real-world application in a rural setting.
About CICP
The CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (originally founded as Central Indiana Corporate Partnership) brings together the leadership of major corporations, foundations, and universities to advance Indiana’s long-term prosperity. Through its five initiatives—AgriNovus Indiana, Ascend Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana and TechPoint—CICP drives growth in key industries. Together, these efforts strengthen Indiana’s economy and position the state as a hub for innovation and opportunity.
