IU-led consortium named NSF finalist for leadership in musculoskeletal healthcare innovation
An Indiana University-led consortium has been named one of 15 finalists in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines competition, positioning Indiana as a global hub for musculoskeletal health technologies that advance treatment for conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and chronic back pain.
The Indiana Musculoskeletal Health Partnership for the Advancement of Care & Treatment consortium builds on IU’s musculoskeletal health research leadership and Indiana’s $99 billion life sciences industry.
“By combining the expertise of Indiana’s leading research universities with the state’s booming orthopedic and musculoskeletal industry, there is no better place than Indiana to create a hub that will drive groundbreaking advancements in musculoskeletal innovation,” IU Vice President for Research Russell J. Mumper said. “IU and its partners have made significant progress already in identifying the state’s greatest opportunities in this area, and we are excited to build on this momentum.”
The goal of the NSF Engines program is to build and scale regional innovation ecosystems across the United States, resulting in economic growth in the selected regions. Each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million to support and grow its regional innovation ecosystem.
To support the proposed Indiana Musculoskeletal Innovation Engine, the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences (IU LAB) would provide operational infrastructure, co-location and shared services to ensure rapid and seamless implementation.
Read more about the NSF Engines proposal
Learn more about the Indiana Musculoskeletal Health Partnership for the Advancement of Care & Treatment
Learn more about the IU School of Medicine's Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health
Learn more about IU LAB
Homefield founder credits IU resources for booming Indiana business in collegiate apparel
When students with dreams of starting their own business come to Indiana University, they find an expanding entrepreneurial network built to turn those dreams into reality.
IU graduates have generated about $7 billion in added annual income to the Indiana economy, equivalent to supporting 92,655 jobs. Offering guidance from top-notch faculty and supportive resources like IU Ventures and IU Innovates, IU is doing more than helping students earn a diploma — it is investing in business endeavors that fuel the economy in Indiana and beyond.
Connor Hitchcock, co-founder of the premium collegiate clothing brand Homefield, is a 2016 alumnus of the IU Kelley School of Business. Hitchcock said the resources and support he received while at IU are “inextricably tied” to the success of his Indianapolis-headquartered business.
From its humble beginnings when Hitchcock screen-printed shirts in his college apartment to becoming one of the largest brands in collegiate apparel today, Hitchcock credits IU for helping him build Homefield from the ground up.
Learn more about Homefield’s success in Indiana
State Update
The latest State Update covers new research from the IU School of Medicine on a well-known cancer-fighting gene, IU Indy launching a new joint sport management and law accelerated-degree program, how an IU alumna is improving elementary reading and math scores in Marion County, and student participation in avital environmental impact study of the DigIndy Tunnel system.
Read the State Update
Economic Engagement Update
Students score career connections through IU sponsorship of TEDSports Indianapolis
“When you’re a student, getting into the sports industry can seem like trying to get into a terrarium,” said Rohan Sharma, a senior majoring in business management at Indiana University Bloomington. “It can seem like a sealed ecosystem, and it’s hard to know how to become a part of it.”
For Indiana University students dreaming of a career in the sports world, TEDSports Indianapolis — sponsored at the founding partner level by IU — offered insights and connections that brought them one step closer to realizing their professional ambitions.
TED events, which are famous for their mix of thoughtful talks, workshops and discovery sessions from well-known speakers, can seem out of reach for most college students. But IU faculty advisors and program administrators who are committed to student success made certain that students like Sharma could attend.
From Sept. 9 to 11 in Indianapolis, Indiana Sports Corp. assembled a TED event centered on sports, with talks from leading figures like internationally renowned cricket player Firooza Afghan and World Wrestling Entertainment champion Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Learn more about TEDSports Indianapolis
IU Innovates expands in Indianapolis under guidance of JagStart alumna
Four years ago, Anna Dorris was a student at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis with a fledgling startup company that had just earned its first investment through a campus pitch competition.
Now the founder of a private, venture-backed, online retailer, Dorris is imparting the lessons she learned in the trenches to a new generation of students as the founding entrepreneurship program manager of IU Innovates, whose presence is expanding on the IU Indianapolis campus.
Learn more about IU Innovates in Indianapolis
Faculty reflect on connections built during Rural Indiana Faculty Tour
Faculty from across Indiana University Bloomington left campus behind for three days this summer, boarding a chartered bus together to explore the people, places, and partnerships shaping rural southern Indiana.
The immersive Rural Indiana Faculty Tour was hosted by the IU Center for Rural Engagement with support from the Office of the Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor. The event invited faculty to connect with local leaders, explore rural communities, and develop their community-engaged research, teaching, and service.
Learn more about the inaugural 2025 Rural Indiana Faculty Tour
IU in the News
US News ranks 2 IU undergrad programs No. 1 in Indiana, among leading national programs
Indiana University programs in business and nursing have been ranked among the nation’s leading programs and No. 1 in Indiana, according to the 2026 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The IU Kelley School of Business maintained its highly ranked status for undergraduate programs — No. 8 nationally — and the IU School of Nursing reached its highest-ever rank of No. 13 nationally. Both schools are also the leading programs in the state.
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Indiana University now ranks No. 1 for nation’s largest living alumni community
Indiana University is now home to the largest living alumni community in the country, marking a historic milestone that highlights IU’s nationwide reach and impact. With over 805,000 living alumni around the world, including more than half (nearly 417,000) in Indiana, IU’s vast alumni network continues to provide unparalleled opportunities for connection, career advancement and lifelong growth.
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Fairbanks, Lilly and Indiana employers collaborate to study obesity medications’ impact
Researchers from the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University Indianapolis have launched a first-of-its-kind study — in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company and several employers in Indiana — to better understand how obesity management medications may improve employee health, as well as their impact on long-term costs for businesses and the health care system.
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$3.7M NIH grant fuels IU study on ADHD medication and substance use problems in young people
The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded $3.7 million to IU researchers to investigate the complex relationship between ADHD medications and serious substance use problems among vulnerable youth and young adults. The study aims to fill critical gaps in understanding how ADHD medications impact the risk of serious substance use problems by analyzing nationwide healthcare data of over 3.3 million young people (ages 9-29) enrolled in Medicaid who received an ADHD diagnosis.
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