Eli Lilly and Purdue University have announced a major expansion of their long-standing research partnership, with Lilly committing up to $250 million over the next eight years.
The collaboration, which may become the largest university-industry research agreement in U.S. history, will extend their existing alliance through 2032.
The expanded effort, dubbed the Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative, will support pharmaceutical R&D across the value chain, from drug discovery to manufacturing. The partnership will also aim to improve supply chain sustainability, deploy AI and robotics in production processes, and scale workforce development programs.
As part of the agreement, four new joint projects will be added. Purdue will host Lilly researchers on-site in West Lafayette, while Purdue researchers will also work at Lilly’s facilities in Indianapolis and at Indiana’s LEAP Research and Innovation District. Existing programs, including the Lilly Scholars at Purdue and the Lilly-Purdue Research Alliance Center, will continue under the new plan.
The initiative will apply AI and data science to drug discovery and development, explore technology-enabled methods for accelerating regulatory approval, and support manufacturing advances through automation and scalable systems.
Lilly CEO David Ricks said the collaboration would help drive innovation and talent development across Indiana’s life sciences sector. Purdue President Mung Chiang described the partnership as a “monumental watershed” moment for the state’s economy and research leadership.