READI funding to support Simtra BioPharma expansion
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowSimtra BioPharma Solutions has been awarded a $500,000 state grant to support the expansion of its manufacturing campus in Bloomington.
The READI 2.0 grant will help pay for public sewer upgrades to a new 150,000-square-foot facility for high-speed filling of syringes and vials, according to a news release from Bloomington-based Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc.
Construction of the facility, part of a $250 million company investment in the campus, began in June and is expected to continue through 2026.
Simtra’s campus at 927 South Curry Pike makes pre-filled medical syringes and vials. The new facility, plans for which were first announced in February, will include two syringe fill lines and one vial fill line.
“Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem is innovating and developing the future of care thanks to the commitment of companies like Simtra BioPharma,” Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg said in the release. “With additional support from READI 2.0, this expansion will fuel continued industry growth, creating new opportunities for innovation and talent and growing the quality of opportunity for Hoosiers in Bloomington and the surrounding Indiana Uplands region.”
New Jersey-based Simtra BioPharma Solutions, which also has facilities in Germany, now employs more than 1,200 people at its Bloomington campus. The expanded campus is expected to add more than 130 high-skilled jobs that pay an average annual salary of $72,000.
“Receiving READI 2.0 funding is a meaningful recognition of Simtra BioPharma Solutions’ deep commitment to Bloomington and Monroe County,” Chief Operating Officer Ray Guidotti said in the news release. “This support not only strengthens our partnership with the region but also helps us expand our capacity to deliver life-saving injectable products to patients who need them most.”
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative has earmarked more than $1.2 billion toward projects that boost local economies, attract talent and improve quality of life since the initiative began in 2021.
Across the state, $487 million in READI 1.0 funds have been awarded to 353 projects and programs, the news release said. READI 2.0 is allocating an additional $750 million.
“Drawing on workforce throughout the Uplands region, Simtra’s economic impact reaches well beyond the Bloomington community, making it ideal for investment from the Indiana Uplands’ READI 2.0 funds,” Regional Opportunity Initiatives President and CEO Tina Peterson said in the news release. “In addition to strengthening Indiana’s life sciences capabilities and specialization, Simtra’s expansion is making the Uplands region an even more attractive place for top talent to begin, relocate, and continue their careers.”
Regional Opportunity Initiatives is a nonprofit economic development organization for the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands region in southwestern Indiana. The region received $30 million in READI 2.0 funds earlier this year.