Background
The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) was formed in 1999 to bring together the chief executives of Central Indiana's most prominent corporations and its university presidents in a regional approach to long-term growth and prosperity. The collective influence of the region's CEOs and higher education leaders has made CICP the focal point for economic development at the Crossroads of America.
In 2001, CICP released an ambitious blueprint for economic development in Central Indiana in partnership with the Battelle Memorial Institute, focusing on key industry clusters - advanced manufacturing, the life sciences, logistics and technology, with an overall focus on entrepreneurship to diversify Central Indiana's economy.
This approach was adopted by local and state government, and in the years that followed CICP launched or incorporated subsidiaries to address each industry as well as regional business attraction. We now serve as the parent organization for this ‘family' of initiatives, creating a cohesive economic development structure for Central Indiana.
CLICK EACH INITIATIVE TO LEARN MORE:
Conexus Indiana is an initiative focused on leveraging Indiana's strengths in advanced manufacturing and logistics by building a skilled workforce and addressing the long-term strategic needs of these industries (which combined to employ more than one of every four Hoosiers), while also focusing on critical infrastructure and public policy priorities.
TechPoint is dedicated to growing Indiana's technology sector by tackling issues like human capital, entrepreneurship and venture investment, and industry connectivity. TechPoint's dedication to networking and promotion have built a more cohesive technology community in Indiana, while its HALO angel investor network has provided the seed capital for new high-tech ventures to flourish.
In 2009, CICP launched the Energy Systems Network to explore the state's opportunity in energy innovation and clean technologies. Since its inception, ESN has helped attract more than $1 billion in public and private investment to the state, focused on electric vehicle development and smart grid technologies, as well as helping Hoosier manufacturers explore the emerging global cleantech market.
The BioCrossroads life sciences initiative has raised more than $250 million in dedicated venture capital and philanthropic funding to support Indiana's biosciences sector - financing start-up ventures and helping hundreds of life sciences companies grow and succeed in the region, while working to improve science and technology education.
CICP has also undertaken a number of strategic projects and research initiatives that transcend specific industries or address other key priorities. Over the last decade, the organization has conducted in-depth, nonpartisan research on important economic issues and lobbied for pro-growth policies at the Indiana Statehouse.
CICP has spearheaded a regional transportation planning effort for the Indianapolis metropolitan region, led the charge for local government reform as part of the MySmartGov coalition, and promoted meaningful K-12 education reform, focused on early reading education.
Now in its second decade, the Partnership continues to explore new strategies and initiatives driving towards the ultimate goal of a more diverse, innovation and knowledge-driven, high-growth economy for Central Indiana.
Click here to see our Board of Directors roster and executive staff.
