Eli Lilly to Invest $250Mn in Purdue Pharma Partnership

The extended alliance through 2032 adds four new projects and continues programs like Lilly Scholars and LPRC.

Eli Lilly and Company has announced a planned investment of up to $250 million to expand its collaboration with Purdue University over the next eight years. 

The alliance, now extended through 2032, will add four new projects to the existing framework and engage ongoing programs such as Lilly Scholars at Purdue and the Lilly and Purdue Research Alliance Center (LPRC).

The initiative, named Lilly-Purdue 360, focuses on drug discovery, clinical translation, scalable manufacturing, and workforce development. The expansion includes shared research spaces in West Lafayette and Indianapolis, including Indiana’s LEAP Research and Innovation District.

AI, Clinical Acceleration, and Manufacturing

Key focus areas will include integrating AI-powered tools for drug discovery, data-driven exploration of disease mechanisms, and the application of robotics and machine learning in scalable, sustainable manufacturing. The partnership will also aim to streamline transitions from Phase I clinical trials to regulatory approval and manufacturing through Lilly’s Medicine Foundry.

"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, Lilly's chair and CEO. 

He further added that 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."

Workforce Development and State-Level Impact

The initiative is expected to generate economic benefits for Indiana through job creation and a skilled talent pipeline aligned with local industry demands. Purdue will also support Lilly’s goals by contributing research talent and infrastructure.

Adding insight, Purdue President Mung Chiang said, "This could be the largest university-industry research deal in U.S. history, with Lilly and Purdue leading a new era of innovation. This collaboration, set against Lilly's LEAP manufacturing facility, marks a pivotal moment for Indiana's jobs, workforce, and innovation."

The Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative supports Purdue's One Health initiative, integrating interdisciplinary research efforts across human, animal, and environmental health.