Studies/Reports

Charting Indiana’s Path from Early Adoption to Widespread Application of Industry 4.0 Technologies

Conexus Indiana, in partnership with Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for Excellence in Manufacturing, has released a study that shows Indiana advanced manufacturing and logistics companies are in various stages of adopting smart manufacturing technologies and identifies a path forward to help spur widespread technology adoption among Indiana manufacturers of all sizes. Without widespread adoption of advanced technologies, study authors say, Indiana risks falling behind increasingly tougher global competition.

“Charting Indiana’s Path from Early Adoption to Widespread Application of Industry 4.0 Technologies,” surveyed 380 Indiana advanced manufacturing and logistics companies from a wide cross-section of businesses across the state. Industry 4.0 is the move toward smart manufacturing where autonomous technologies, smart systems and data and machine learning promise to significantly improve manufacturing operations.

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Sales and Service Operations

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Sales and Service Operations: Keeping our Hoosier workers safe so they can restart the state was released to share best practices of Indiana companies and others around the world in this unprecedented time. It identifies recommendations and best practices from public health experts and organizations, as well as other officials, to assist Hoosier employers both in continuing to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and in restarting operations.

The edition distributed is focused on sales and service operations, and includes two primary sections:

• Key Decisions to Consider Prior to Restarting Your Workplace: Describes for employers the four key principles they will need to consider as they seek to re-open their operations following the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order and temporary closures.
• Key Components of a Safe Return to Work in Indiana’s Sales and Service Operations: Provides an outline of and detailed descriptions for the 17 key factors across four broad areas that employers will have to uniquely manage to provide maximum societal benefits as we go back to work during the ongoing pandemic.

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Office Environments

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Office Environments: Keeping our Hoosier workers safe so they can restart the state was released to share best practices of Indiana companies and others around the world in this unprecedented time. It identifies recommendations and best practices from public health experts and organizations, as well as other officials, to assist Hoosier employers both in continuing to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and in restarting operations.

The edition distributed is focused on office environments, and includes two primary sections:

• Key Decisions to Consider Prior to Restarting Your Workplace: Describes for employers the four key principles they will need to consider as they seek to re-open their operations following the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order and temporary closures.
• Key Components of a Safe Return to Work in Indiana’s Office Environments: Provides an outline of and detailed descriptions for the 15 key factors across four broad areas that employers will have to uniquely manage to provide maximum societal benefits as we go back to work during the ongoing pandemic.

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Manufacturing, Logistics and Warehousing Sectors

Safe Return to Work for Indiana’s Manufacturing, Logistics, and Warehousing Sectors: Keeping our Hoosier workers safe so they can restart the state was released to share best practices of Indiana companies and others around the world in this unprecedented time. It identifies recommendations and best practices from public health experts and organizations, as well as other officials, to assist Hoosier employers both in continuing to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and in restarting operations.

The edition is focused on the manufacturing, logistics and warehousing organizations, and includes two primary sections:

• Key Decisions to Consider Prior to Restarting Your Workplace: Describes for employers the four key principles they will need to consider as they seek to re-open their operations following the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order and temporary closures.
• Key Components of a Safe Return to Work in Manufacturing, Logistics, and Warehousing: Provides an outline of and detailed descriptions for the 16 key factors across four broad areas that employers will have to uniquely manage to provide maximum societal benefits as we go back to work during the ongoing pandemic.

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), along with a special initiative led by Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger and senior members of the Cummins team, working together with other regional business leaders, produced the playbook. In addition, leaders from several of CICP’s branded initiatives — particularly Mark Howell, from Conexus Indiana, and Paul Mitchell, from Energy Systems Network—made substantial contributions to this effort.

CICP 2019 Annual Report

With the release of its 2019 annual report, CICP looks back at an ambitious year for the organization and its six key talent and industry sector initiatives, AgriNovus Indiana, Ascend Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana, Energy Systems Network and TechPoint. The initiatives represent agbiosciences, talent and workforce development, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, energy technology and technology, respectively.

While CICP reflects on its history and the deep legacy of its work, it also has a sharp focus on the future and, in particular, a visionary project that spreads to all borders of Indiana, the Indiana GPS Project – Growth and Prosperity in the State. Made possible through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., CICP is leading a multi-dimensional study of Indiana’s economy designed to focus business priorities and spur intentional growth across the entire state of Indiana.

BioCrossroads 2019 Annual Report

Indiana’s life sciences industry keeps evolving, expanding and making new discoveries. The 2019 BioCrossroads Annual Report outlines how companies made acquisitions and invested in their local operations; new organizations opened facilities in Indiana, bringing innovation and hundreds of new jobs to the landscape; and start-ups received venture funding to move their products forward. The result is a vibrant and growing Indiana life sciences sector that is 2,157 companies and 56,575 people strong.

Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics in Indiana: An Initial Discussion of Industry Needs and University Capabilities

BioCrossroads has released a new report from TEConomy Partners titled Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics in Indiana: An Initial Discussion of Industry Needs and University Capabilities. TEConomy conducted a series of interviews with major employers in Indiana along with leadership at Indiana University (IU), Purdue University (Purdue) and the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame) to generate their findings, perspectives and recommendations.

The study finds that technological change is affecting our economy at an unprecedented pace and is driving significant investments by Indiana’s industry partners and research universities to ensure that they stay ahead of the curve. However, there is limited coordination between industry and academia leaving missed opportunities to leverage investment, recruit and retain talent, and drive economic growth for the state. [READ FULL REPORT]

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Agbiosciences in Indiana

AgriNovus Indiana has released a study providing an extensive assessment of the Indiana agbiosciences entrepreneurial ecosystem. AgriNovus commissioned the study to better understand the environment needed for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive in Indiana.

Entrepreneurial ventures have been found to be key drivers of new technology and also job creation. The study found that in order for Indiana to be the home to unparalleled agbioscience talent and innovation, a robust entrepreneurial community, culture and infrastructure is needed.

Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends

Energy Systems Network (ESN) released a report that examines market trends, opportunities, and future implications of the evolving advanced mobility sector, which includes a variety of transportation modes such as cars, transit buses, scooters, and bicycles.

Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends is a comprehensive review and discussion of the evolution of the transportation and mobility industry, from the 20th century’s orientation toward roadways and personal automobiles; to vehicles’ current advancements propelled by electrification, automation, and sharing; to the emergence of “micromobility” (such as bikes or scooters) and other functional modes and business models, including Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) models that offer a variety of transportation solutions based on the consumer’s specific needs through one platform.

ESN’s Director of Mobility, Matt Peak, is the author of the report.

CICP releases 2018 annual report

2018 saw continued progress, and it was an especially productive year for CICP, its projects and its initiatives (AgriNovus Indiana, Ascend Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana, Energy Systems Network and TechPoint).

The early 2018 launch of Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak’s book, The New Localism—with its extensive focus on CICP as a global model for communities in structuring and governance of economic development activity— spurred considerable publicity and acclaim for CICP. In addition, as CICP looks to ensure the organization is continuing to deliver maximum impact, it released two landmark pieces of research, the Brookings Institution’s Advancing Opportunity in Central Indiana and the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program report, Rethinking Cluster Initiatives.

As CICP enters its 20th year, it’s important to look back to see how far we’ve come, but to also focus on the future and the opportunities ahead. One of those opportunities includes CICP relocating its headquarters to the 16 Tech Innovation District in May 2020.