The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute will grow Indiana's bioscience sector with a gift of $100 million in grants.
The Lilly Endowment and Eli Lilly and Company Foundation are donating the money that includes matching grants to the nonprofit Indiana Biosciences Research Institute in Indianapolis. This money brings IBRI halfway to its $350 million goal.
IBRI aims to construct a new building and address metabolic diseases like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
About half a million Hoosiers have diabetes, 65 percent of Indiana's adults are overweight and over a third have high blood pressure.
We're at the bottom of the table when it comes to diabetes rates, obesity rates and high blood pressure.
"Unfortunately, we're at the bottom of the table when it comes to diabetes rates, obesity rates and high blood pressure," says David Broecker, President and CEO of IBRI.
Gov. Pence says the grants are expected to bring high-paying jobs to Indiana. He says Indiana is one of the leading states with employment in life sciences, agri-business and even medical devices.
"What this new institute does is bring all of those life sciences together with our universities and it creates a platform where new therapies, new medicines can be developed and commercialized," Pence says.
IBRI was founded in 2013 to focus on metabolic disease and poor nutrition.
They hope to break ground on their new building later this year.
Network Indiana contributed to this post.