Eli Lilly and Purdue Expand Partnership with $250 Million Investment

Eli Lilly is expanding its collaboration with Purdue University, committing up to $250 million over the next eight years to bolster pharmaceutical innovation across the drug development pipeline.

The expanded alliance will seek to transform drug discovery, clinical development, and manufacturing, while fortifying the talent pipeline for the state of Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem. Key focus areas will include applying AI to drug discovery, integrating robotics and data science into manufacturing, and accelerating the transition of treatments from the lab to the clinic.

“As potentially the largest single university-industry research agreement in American history, Lilly and Purdue are blazing a new trail to the endless frontier,” said Purdue University President Mung Chiang. He emphasized the strategic value to Indiana, citing job creation, educational impact, and innovation along the state’s “Hard-Tech Corridor,” particularly in the LEAP (Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace) research and innovation district.

The Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative builds on existing collaborations, including the Lilly Scholars at Purdue and the Lilly and Purdue Research Alliance Center. The two organizations established a 10-year strategic research collaboration in 2017, funded by an initial $50 million commitment from Lilly. The new investment will extend the current agreement, previously set to expire in 2027, through to 2032 and will fund four additional joint projects. The initiative also includes physical co-location of researchers, with Lilly scientists working in West Lafayette and Purdue researchers embedded in Lilly’s Indianapolis operations and the LEAP district.

“Accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines demands a highly skilled workforce and continuous innovation across discovery, process development, and manufacturing,” said David A. Ricks, chair and CEO of Lilly. “Through this expanded collaboration with Purdue, we look forward to combining our strengths in advanced technologies and cutting-edge science to pioneer new methods of delivering next-generation medicines to advance human health.”

Key initiatives include:

• Using AI, machine learning, and big data to better understand disease mechanisms and personalize treatments.
• Fast-tracking therapies from early-stage trials to regulatory approval through the Lilly Medicine Foundry.
• Enhancing manufacturing agility and compliance through automation and smart technologies.
• Expanding training programs to ensure a robust talent pipeline for Indiana’s growing biopharmaceutical sector.

The initiative also aligns with Purdue’s One Health framework, an interdisciplinary program that connects human, animal, and environmental health.

Purdue University, a top 10 US public research institution, currently serves more than 107,000 students system-wide and has kept tuition frozen for 14 consecutive years. The university’s expanding focus on strategic initiatives such as One Health and its urban expansion projects have underscored its growing influence in applied research and innovation.

With this partnership, Lilly and Purdue are signaling a shared commitment to advancing science, education, and economic growth. Earlier this year, we spoke with Elizabeth Topp, a professor in the Purdue University Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics and the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, about industry-academic partnerships, and the benefits they bring to both sectors.