West Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
September 22, 2010
Purdue, Dow AgroSciences LLC, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and greater Lafayette officials dedicated a new life sciences research space and greenhouse in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette on Wednesday (Sept. 22).
Less than one year after announcing the partnership, Dow AgroSciences is now occupying 15,000 square feet of research and office space in the Herman and Heddy Kurz Purdue Technology Center at 1281 Win Hentschel Blvd. In addition, Dow AgroSciences is the exclusive tenant of an 11,000-square-foot greenhouse complex on the south side of Ross Enterprise Center. Approximately 30 scientists and contract research assistants will work in the facilities in the years to come.
"Dow AgroSciences is committed to discovering technology to help address the challenges of feeding a growing population, and the work we are doing in these state-of-the-art facilities at Purdue will help us advance our global agricultural research efforts," said Antonio Galindez, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. "The partnership and support of Purdue and the state of Indiana are very important enablers to continuing the momentum of the life sciences in Indiana."
Researchers from Dow AgroSciences will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in the Purdue University colleges of Agriculture and Science and have access to some campus research facilities.
"As a land-grant university, Purdue has made its mark in the field of agricultural research. In the past three years, Purdue has been home to two World Food Prize winners. Gebisa Ejeta, distinguished professor of agronomy, won in 2009, and Philip Nelson, former head of Purdue's Department of Food Sciences, won in 2007," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. "The partnership with Dow AgroSciences is important because it creates collaborative research opportunities that will help to meet our shared goals of finding solutions to the most pressing global challenges."
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation supported the Purdue Research Foundation in the construction of the greenhouse research center with a $2.2 million grant to assist in development costs.
"We know that other sites outside Indiana were recruiting the Dow AgroSciences research and development enterprise, and, as part of our state's strategy to promote job growth in Indiana, we worked hard to make sure this opportunity stayed in Indiana," said Mitch Roob, Indiana Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the IEDC. "We are pleased to see the construction project completed on time and to see the employment benefit and research expansion come to fruition."
Dow AgroSciences joins the more than 160 companies already based in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette.
"This is the first greenhouse we have constructed in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, and it is an important addition to our site because it represents a strong move into the agricultural sector of life sciences," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. "The dedication of the research facility and greenhouse provides yet another opportunity for park-based companies to collaborate with Purdue University."
Jay Akridge, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, and other agricultural researchers and leaders have worked with the scientists at Dow AgroSciences.
"One of the goals for the College of Agriculture's strategic plan is to expand in multidisciplinary research and engagement to address critical issues at the state, national and international levels," he said. "We already have a strong collaboration with Dow AgroSciences, but having a research site in this area will provide our faculty and students with even stronger opportunities for research and engagement."
West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said that the Dow AgroSciences research facility and greenhouse in West Lafayette will add to the economic development of the city.
"The dedication of the Dow AgroSciences' facility is another example of how much the West Lafayette area benefits by having the Purdue Research Park," Dennis said. "Our community works closely with the park and other economic development organizations to ensure that we continue to grow and diversify our economy."
Created by Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Daniels. Indiana Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC. For more information about IEDC, visit http://www.iedc.in.gov
Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company providing innovative agrochemical and biotechnology solutions globally. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, has sales of $4.5 billion. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.
The 725-acre Purdue Research Park has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park is home to more than 160 companies. About 100 of these firms are technology-related and another 39 are incubator businesses. The park is owned and managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue University in the area of economic development. In addition to the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, the foundation has established technology parks in other locations around Indiana including Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany.
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