Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

THE CENTRAL INDIANA CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP (CICP) IS TRANSFORMING OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY, BRINGING TOGETHER THE CEOS OF CENTRAL INDIANA'S LARGEST AND MOST CIVICALLY ENGAGED EMPLOYERS & UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS TO ADVANCE "BIG PICTURE" PRIORITIES LIKE ENCOURAGING INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, BUILDING A WORLD-CLASS WORKFORCE AND CREATING A PRO-GROWTH ECONOMY. CICP HAS BUILT A UNIFIED STRUCTURE FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LEADING A FAMILY OF INITIATIVES FOCUSED ON INDIANA'S MOST DYNAMIC, FAST-GROWING INDUSTRIES - LIFE SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY, AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS, AND CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY.

ENERGY SYSTEMS NETWORK (ESN) IS FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION SECTORS. THE MISSION OF ESN IS TO LEVERAGE OUR NETWORK OF GLOBAL THOUGHT LEADERS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED ENERGY SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW. OUR COLLECTIVE FOCUS IS TO REDUCE COSTS, EMISSIONS AND WASTE; INFLUENCE POLICY; AND ADVANCE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. VISIT WWW.ENERGYSYSTEMSNETWORK.COM.IN 2021, ESN MOVED SEVERAL MAJOR PROJECTS FORWARD INCLUDING THE INDY AUTONOMOUS CHALLENGE (IAC) AND TOGETHER IN MOTION INDIANA, WHICH WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE INDIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (IEDC) AND TOYOTA MOBILITY FOUNDATION, AMONG OTHERS.ORGANIZED BY ESN AND THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (IMS), THE INDY AUTONOMOUS CHALLENGE POWERED BY CISCO, WAS THE FIRST HIGH-SPEED AUTONOMOUS RACECAR COMPETITION AT IMS ON OCT. 23, 2021. THE HISTORIC COMPETITION INVOLVED 21 UNIVERSITIES FROM NINE COUNTRIES FORMING NINE TEAMS. A GOAL OF THE IAC IS TO ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN SPEED THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND DEPLOYMENTS OF ADVANCED DRIVER-ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS (ADAS). THESE ENHANCEMENTS MAY LEAD TO INCREASED SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE IN MOTORSPORTS AS WELL AS ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION.IN ADDITION TO THE HISTORIC COMPETITION, THE IAC HELD AN AUTONOMOUS INNOVATION SUMMIT AND A TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE WHERE IAC SPONSORS, UNIVERSITIES AND OTHERS EXHIBITED THEIR TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING BOSTON DYNAMICS, LUMINAR, ADLINK, SCHAEFFLER AND BRIDGESTONE. AWS (AMAZON WEB SERVICES) LIVESTREAMED THE COMPETITION ON THE IAC WEBSITE AND ON TWITCH. THE COMPETITION ALSO GARNERED MAJOR GLOBAL MEDIA PLACEMENTS.

TECHPOINT IS THE NUCLEUS OF INDIANA'S TECH COMMUNITY AND THE GROWTH PLATFORM FOR THE STATE'S TECH COMPANIES AND ECOSYSTEM. TECHPOINT IS FOCUSED ON HELPING THE STATE'S TECH COMMUNITY AND ECONOMY THRIVE IN THIS INCREASINGLY DIGITAL AGE BY ACCELERATING THE GROWTH AND STRENGTH OF THE LOCAL TECH TALENT POOL, COMPANY BASE, AND COMMUNITY FABRIC. VISIT WWW.TECHPOINT.ORG.THE FIGHT TO SECURE TOP TECH TALENT IS GLOBAL, AND TECHPOINT CONTINUED ITS FOCUS ON RECRUITING AND RETAINING TOP TECH-SKILLED STUDENTS, POST-GRADUATES AND CAREER CHANGERS, PRIMARILY THROUGH THE XTERN PROGRAM (LAUNCHED IN 2014) WHICH IS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN ENTRY LEVEL TALENT WHILE ENCOURAGING THEM TO VIEW INDIANA AS A GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN OR GROW THEIR TECH CAREERS, AND THE SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS (S.O.S.) CHALLENGE (LAUNCHED IN 2020). THE 2021 XTERN CLASS INCLUDED 151 STUDENTS FROM 20 STATES, SIX FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND 35 U.S. UNIVERSITIES. MUNCIE, IND., BECAME AN XTERN "EXPANSION CITY", WITH TECHPOINT HELPING THE MUNCIE INNOVATION CONNECTOR AND AREA TECH EMPLOYERS STAND UP AN XTERN CLASS AND SUMMER PROGRAM. THE 2021 S.O.S. CHALLENGE CLASS WAS COMPOSED OF 170 STUDENTS AND RECENT NON-PROFIT CODING ACADEMY GRADUATES.PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS ON SAFELY MEETING IN-PERSON CURTAILED PLANNED ACTIVITIES BUT DIDN'T STOP TECHPOINT FROM CONVENING EVENTS AND ENCOURAGING RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. TECHPOINT HOSTED OR SUPPORTED MORE THAN 40 EVENTS, INCLUDING THE MIRA AWARDS, THE CTO OF THE YEAR AND TECH 25 AWARDS, TWO VC SPEED DATING EVENTS, AND MANY EVENTS CONNECTING THE XTERN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS TO EXPERTS AND LEADERS IN THE TECH INDUSTRY. THE 22ND ANNUAL AND SECOND VIRTUAL MIRA AWARDS GALA BROUGHT TOGETHER THE MOST DIVERSE SLATE OF JUDGES, NOMINEES, AND WINNERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CELEBRATION OF INDIANA TECH. SIXTEEN AWARD WINNERS AND HONOREES WERE CHOSEN FROM 211 APPLICATIONS. THE TECHPOINT FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH USED THE GATHERING TO LAUNCH A FUNDRAISING EFFORT TO PROVIDE DIGITAL TOOLS TO HOOSIER CHILDREN WITHOUT ACCESS TO THE INTERNET OR COMPUTERS AT HOME. ULTIMATELY, THE INITIATIVE PROVIDED 850 LAPTOPS, IPADS, AND HOT SPOTS FOR STUDENTS.

CONEXUS INDIANA STRENGTHENS INDIANA'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS THROUGH ITS DYNAMIC NETWORK OF INDUSTRY, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC-SECTOR PARTNERS. CONEXUS INDIANA DESIGNS AND EXECUTES PROGRAMS, BUILDS TALENT, AND INFORMS CRITICAL DECISION-MAKERS ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THE INDUSTRIES. VISIT WWW.CONEXUSINDIANA.COM.WHILE THE PANDEMIC AND SUPPLY CHAIN WEAKNESSES DEMANDED ATTENTION IN 2021, CONEXUS INDIANA DID NOT LET THOSE CRISES DISTRACT IT FROM EQUIPPING THE STATE TO CONTINUE ITS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS LEADERSHIP. THIS EFFORT WAS LED BY PRESIDENT AND CEO J. MARK HOWELL UNTIL JUNE, WHEN HE RETIRED AND FORMER GENERAL MOTORS EXECUTIVE FRED CARTWRIGHT STEPPED UP TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF URGING THE STATE'S MAKERS AND MOVERS FORWARD. CARTWRIGHT'S EXPERIENCE POWERING INNOVATION AT GM AND LEADING THE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH PREPARED THE INDIANA NATIVE WELL FOR THE TASK OF COMPELLING MODERNIZATION IN THE SECTORS THAT FUEL NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF THE HOOSIER STATE'S ECONOMY. TO GUIDE THIS EFFORT, CONEXUS INDIANA IN 2021 FORGED A THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUSED ON INCREASING MANUFACTURERS' PRODUCTIVITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ALIGNING TALENT PROGRAMS TO AN INDUSTRY 4.0 ECONOMY.THE CONTINUED EMERGENCE OF INDUSTRY 4.0 DEMANDS THAT INDIANA MAKERS AND MOVERS MODERNIZE. TO THAT END, CONEXUS INDIANA PROVIDES ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS FIRMS WITH DATA, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION THAT SUPPORT THE ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES. CONEXUS INDIANA'S EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASES ALLOWED EMPLOYERS TO EXPERIENCE NEW TECHNOLOGY AND SEE HOW IT HAS BEEN PUT TO WORK IN OPERATIONS LIKE THEIRS AND CONNECTED THEM WITH CREDIBLE RESOURCES FOR THOSE SOLUTIONS. IN ADDITION, CONEXUS INDIANA SUPPORTED THE INDIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION'S EFFORT TO DISTRIBUTE A TOTAL OF $16.5 MILLION IN MANUFACTURING READINESS GRANTS TO HELP 202 COMPANIES IN 58 COUNTIES ACQUIRE AND DEPLOY SMART, INNOVATIVE, AND EMERGING INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS. THESE EFFORTS CLEARLY HAVE BORNE FRUIT: A STUDY RELEASED IN LATE 2021 SHOWED THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF FIRMS IMPLEMENTING, OR PILOTING INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES DOUBLED FROM 2020 TO 2021 AMONG THE NEARLY 140 SURVEY RESPONDENTS, AND 94% SAID THE GRANTS ENABLED, ACCELERATED, OR EXPANDED THEIR TECH-ADOPTION PROJECTS. COMPANIES ARE INCORPORATING MACHINE VISION, BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, SENSOR TECHNOLOGY, COBOTS AND MORE INTO THEIR OPERATIONS.