LAFAYETTE — The Wabash Heartland community will get a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” with a $38.9 million Lilly Endowment grant.
Wabash Heartland Innovation Network's (WHIN) chair Gary Henriott said the almost $40 million grant will help a 10-county region become a global hub for agriculture and advanced manufacturing.
The hope is that by having globally recognized infrastructure, more global companies will be interested in coming to the region by using sensor and digital-based networks.
Henriott called the grant a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The goal is to create a prosperous economic ecosystem in the Wabash Heartland region — which includes 10 counties: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Pulaski, Tippecanoe, Warren and White.
"I've watched this project mature, evolve and shape for two years," Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said. "We have such a wonderful opportunity to do good."
The project fits the region, the university and the future, Daniels said.
In 2018, the WHIN board will host a kickoff event for interested parties from the 10-county region who can learn more about how the funding will be used, what various partners’ roles will be and the potential economic benefits, according to a news release.