Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

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The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is an organization established to bring together the leaders of industry, higher education, and philanthropy in order to develop economic clusters and advance development of the region.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The main aims and objectives of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) are: 

  • To bring together chief executives of prominent corporations, foundations, and universities in a strategic and collaborative effort dedicated to the region's continued prosperity and growth. 

  • To focus on key industry clusters, including life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, and technology, with an overall emphasis on entrepreneurship to diversify Central Indiana's economy. 

  • To sponsor five key talent and industry sector initiatives, each addressing challenges and opportunities unique to its respective area. 

  • To spearhead strategic projects, such as creating the Innovation District northwest of downtown Indianapolis and leading a statewide research project to understand the condition of Indiana's economy and workforce through data analysis and extensive interviews. 

  • To foster collaboration and sharing of best practices in areas like supplier diversity, through partnerships with organizations like the Mid-States Minority Supplier Diversity Council. 

How does the program work?

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) develops clusters by first conducting an in-depth analysis of the region's leading economic sectors and identifying potential areas for growth. This analysis helps CICP recognize key industry clusters, such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, and technology. By focusing on these industry clusters, CICP can create targeted strategies for economic development, addressing the unique needs and challenges of each sector. 

CICP then establishes talent and industry sector initiatives that concentrate on various interventions, including talent development. These initiatives foster collaborations between public and private sectors as well as university stakeholders, which help drive innovation and growth within the identified clusters. Through these strategic partnerships and targeted efforts, CICP successfully catalyzes development in the chosen sectors, leading to the creation of new nonprofit and for-profit enterprises. 

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) houses six key talent and industry sector initiatives to advance its mission of boosting the region's economy, workforce, and quality of life. These initiatives are: 

  1. AgriNovus Indiana: Focusing on the agbiosciences sector. 

  1. Ascend Indiana: Aims to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers, focusing on talent development. 

  1. BioCrossroads: Dedicated to advancing the life sciences sector in Indiana. 

  1. Conexus Indiana: Focused on promoting and growing Indiana's advanced manufacturing and logistics industries. 

  1. Energy Systems Network (ESN): Aims to develop the energy technology and clean technology sectors. 

  1. TechPoint: Focused on the growth and development of Indiana's technology sector. 

AgriNovus 

The AgriNovus cluster initiative is one of the six initiatives housed by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). Launched in 2014, AgriNovus Indiana is focused on advancing the agbiosciences sector as a nationally recognized leader by promoting innovation in food and agriculture. This initiative collaborates with industry, academic, and public-sector partners to drive economic growth and workforce development in Indiana's agricultural sector. By cultivating strong partnerships and fostering innovation in agbiosciences, AgriNovus Indiana aims to position the state as a key player in the field of agriculture and food innovation. 

Ascend Indiana 

The Ascend Indiana initiative is a talent and workforce development program established by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) in 2016. Its main goal is to address Indiana's talent gap and workforce challenges, particularly in high-demand industries such as advanced life sciences, technology, and advanced manufacturing. Ascend Indiana focuses on four main areas: engaging employers, identifying and connecting talent to employers, building talent pipelines, and informing public policy. One of its key services is the Ascend Network, a cloud-based platform that matches early-in-career talent to jobs and internships using algorithms and human interaction. The initiative has received substantial funding, including a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and additional contributions from other organizations. 

BioCrossroads 

The BioCrossroads cluster initiative is one of the six initiatives housed by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and focuses on advancing the life sciences sector. Established in 2003, BioCrossroads aims to position Indiana as a nationally recognized leader in life sciences by promoting education, research, talent development, strategic collaborations, and public policy. The initiative plays a crucial role in fostering innovation, raising awareness, and driving economic growth within the life sciences industry, as highlighted by the Brookings report on Rethinking Cluster Initiatives. 

Conexus 

The Conexus Indiana cluster initiative is a public-private partnership aimed at making Indiana a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics. This initiative is one of several housed within the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and focuses on workforce development, targeting high school students to prepare them for jobs in the advanced manufacturing and logistics sector. Conexus Indiana's approach involves building strong public-private partnerships, employing cluster diagnostics, and replacing ad hoc approaches to economic development. The initiative receives significant support from the Lilly Endowment and serves as an example of successful cluster growth achieved through targeted workforce development initiatives. 

Energy Systems Network 

Energy Systems Network (ESN) is a cluster initiative within the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) that focuses on promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, and advanced transportation technologies. ESN works to develop and implement industry-driven strategies to accelerate the growth of the clean energy and advanced transportation sectors in Indiana. By fostering collaboration among industry, academia, and government organizations, ESN aims to create a thriving ecosystem for innovation and economic development within the state's energy and transportation industries. 

TechPoint 

The TechPoint cluster initiative is another public-private partnership within the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) aimed at promoting and accelerating the growth of Indiana's technology sector. TechPoint works to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent development in the state's tech ecosystem. 

The initiative brings together various stakeholders, including technology companies, academic institutions, government entities, and community organizations, to drive collaboration and create a supportive environment for startups and established tech firms in the region. TechPoint focuses on several key areas such as talent attraction and retention, capital and resources, marketing and promotion, and community engagement. 

What is the overall cost?
There is no available information on the annual running costs of CICP. However, it is primarily funded through membership contributions from its members, which include prominent corporations, foundations, and universities in the region. These members provide financial support to help CICP achieve its objectives of promoting economic development and growth in Central Indiana. Additionally, the CICP Foundation receives financial assistance from Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation, to support charitable, scientific, and educational activities related to the CICP's mission. 
How was it implemented?
The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership was developed in response to the changing economic conditions in Indiana at the end of the 20th century. In particular the organisation emerged from the recommendations of a task force put together by Clay Robbins of the Lilly Endowment Inc, and local business leaders Larry O’Connor and Sallie Rowland. The original intention of the organization was be a rigorous advisors to policy makers by drawing upon the best thinking in the private, philanthropic and university sectors. This quickly evolved into the organization becoming active in seeking private and philanthropic investment for entrepreneurial projects.  
What impact has been measured?

CICP can point to the following successes: 

  • In 2021, CICP’s expertise and counsel contributed to more than 300 companies locating or expanding in the state that year, surpassing previous records.  

  • In 2022, AgriNovus secured commitments from eight agbioscience companies to expand or locate operations in Indiana, creating 788 new high wage jobs and $446.8 million in investment.  

  • Ascend has built 48 talent pipelines and talent strategies leading to 1,200 individuals participating in new training programs and investing over $6 million in corporate training through scholarships, paid work experience and other types of support 

  • Techpoint successfully persuaded ten companies to move or expand in Indiana bringing 1500 jobs to the region.  

  • Conexus secured $23 million in matching grants for smart technology investments, supporting $352.7 million in technology-enabled capital investment among Indiana manufacturers. In addition to this the average project that Conexus invested in added 5 new jobs contributing to $196,000 in wage growth.  

What lessons can be learned?

A report by Brookings noted that CICP has several characteristics that make it stand out as a cluster initiative: 

  1. Firstly, CICIP is not dedicated to single issue or cluster, instead developing abilities to seed several successful initiatives over time. It has become a durable institution that is capable of rapid adaptation when necessary.  

  1. CICP has invested heavily in developing staff expertise and strong leadership to make this model function effectively. They have focused in particular on finding systems entrepreneurs that have significant subject expertise. likewise they have been able to attract young, outcome-oriented individuals to implement its activities.  

  1. CICP has secured significant financial resources in order to make the model work and get initiatives up and running. The vast majority of resources come from the business community due to the strategies constructed by CCIP to appeal to bottom-line interests such as research, technology commercialization and talent development. They also to seek to collaborate with industry rather than compete.  

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom