Big Purdue Investment Targets Corporate Partnerships
Suresh Garimella says the initiative will capitalize on Purdue's strengths.
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPurdue University’s executive vice president for research and partnerships says a quarter of a billion dollar commitment to the state’s life sciences sector will make the school a "powerhouse" in the business community. Suresh Garimella says Purdue and six of its colleges will focus over the next five years on bolstering strategic corporate partnerships.
Garimella tells Inside INdiana Business the entire process was faculty-led and will demonstrate the "power of Purdue."
The investment focuses on hiring what the university calls "high-impact, leading" faculty members throughout multiple departments, emphasizing fields including neuroscience, immunological sciences, drug discovery and plant sciences. The $250 million total includes a $60 million portion of the school’s massive, $2 billion "Ever True" Capital Campaign through its Pillars of Excellence in the Life Sciences Initiative.
Garimella says "we are focused on translation of this work into new treatments and that’s where critical partnerships with the private sector, with large companies of course in the state such as Lilly, but also others outside the state and country are critical to making that jump from scientific discovery to treatments that people will benefit from."
He calls the commitment "one of our most significant investments."
Garimella tells Inside INdiana Business the investment will be a boon for the university and the state.