This article was originally published by Inside Indiana Business. Click here to read the original article.
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana life sciences officials say the recent national rollout of the state’s BioHeartland Indiana branding signifies the strengths and assets of the biosciences ecosystem in the state.
In May, the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership, or CICP, announced the BioHeartland name with the goal of creating an identity for Indiana’s bioscience innovation. Last week, a contingent of Indiana bioscience leaders showcased the branding at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, California.
Melina Kennedy, CEO of the CICP, said on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick that the trip marked the first time in six years that Indiana had a presence at the convention.
“What’s kind of interesting is between six years ago and now — there are entities and people there that weren’t in existence before, and it’s pretty exciting,” Kennedy said. “The momentum is huge in BioHeartland.”
Kennedy said the goal of BioHeartland is to tell Indiana’s bioscience story as a whole, rather than just one win at a time.
“We have some great assets — the largest medical school in the country. We have three times the national average of patent activity, so we discover a lot. And we’re the number one exporter of life sciences in the country,” she said. “But when we say those things one-off, it doesn’t tell the story. BioHeartland tells that story together.”
Bringing Indiana’s life sciences wins to a convention that attracted more than 20,000 attendees from around the world is part of that effort. The state’s contingent included representatives from Eli Lilly and Co., Elanco Animal Health, the Heartland BioWorks Tech Hub, and the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Kennedy said BioHeartland will represent Indiana as an “absolute powerhouse” in the biosciences sector.
“If there’s one message for BioHeartland, it’s that we not only make things here, we actually invent them and we move them with our great airport and our logistics expertise, and the whole value chain right here is real,” she said. “It’s going to be a huge part of our continued success into the future.”
