The U.S.-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit event is being produced by the Energy Systems Network (ESN), an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and a sister organization in Indiana economic development to Indy Partnership. ESN is focused on the development of the energy technology or “clean-tech” sector.

ESN distributed the following press release on the event:

First U.S.-China Summit on hybrid and electric vehicles set for Indianapolis

Summit hosted by Energy Systems Network offers “unprecedented” opportunity for Indiana companies in global vehicle manufacturing market

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 24, 2010) Executives from Energy Systems Network joined Governor Mitch Daniels and officials from the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China (Chicago) to announce that Indianapolis will host the first U.S.-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit Thursday and Friday (May 27-28).

The Summit will bring together a delegation of Chinese automakers and Indiana manufacturers of components for hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles to share information and explore potential business relationships that could result in new opportunities for Hoosier firms and future foreign investment in the state. The event is hosted by the Energy Systems Network, a non-profit organization focused on growth and commercialization within the clean technologies and energy sectors.

China represents the world’s fastest-growing market for electric vehicles, projected to grow its global market share from less than 3% this year to 35% in 2020; all of the nation’s major state-owned and joint venture auto manufacturers as well as most privately-held companies are producing or have announced plans for hybrid and electric models.

“Last year, we took Indiana’s story to China for the first time.  Now, we’ll welcome our colleagues from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and representatives from some of the country’s major automakers to Indiana for the first time.  Hoosier firms developing technologies and components for electric vehicles will have an unprecedented business development opportunity to discuss potential partnerships and joint ventures,” said Governor Daniels.

The delegation will be led by Mr. Wang Chao, Assistant Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic and include nearly 100 Chinese government officials and automotive executives.  More than 15 Chinese auto companies will be represented at the Summit including:  FAW Group Corporation, Dongfeng, Chery, BYD, Geely, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Wanxiang Group and others, along with the Chamber of Commerce for Manufacturing Equipment and Electronics, and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

“This is the largest delegation of Chinese automotive company executives and officials to travel to the United States for a historic visit with American automotive parts manufacturers,” noted Assistant Minister of Commerce Wang Chao. “We are confident the visit will result in stronger business relationships between the Chinese and American automotive companies, especially for hybrid and electric vehicles.”

U.S. participants include Indiana manufacturers Cummins, Delphi, Allison Transmission, EnerDel, and Remy. These companies represent a growing cluster of firms producing advanced batteries, engines, motors, transmissions and electronics for hybrid and electric vehicles; Hoosier manufacturers collectively attracted more than $400 million in vehicle electrification stimulus grants in 2009.

“To truly capitalize on the global market for vehicles, component manufacturers have to look beyond the U.S.,” added Joe Loughrey, Chairman of the Energy Systems Network and retired Vice-Chairman of Cummins.

“Many of ESN's member companies already do business in China,” Loughrey continued. “We hope this Summit helps advance those relationships and set the stage for new ones that together result in Hoosier companies supplying more components to Chinese companies, creating great jobs in Indiana."

Daniels will speak at a delegation welcome dinner on Thursday evening at the Eiteljorg Museum, and the U.S.-China Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Details on media availability during the Summit and specific lists of participants will be released as they become available.

About Energy Systems Network: The Energy Systems Network (ESN) an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. It is a non-profit industry-driven economic organization focused on the development of the energy technology “cleantech” sector. ESN provides project development and coordination for joint ventures and cooperative partnerships between network members to bring new energy technologies to market.  ESN partners include a wide range of Fortune 500 firms, emerging technology companies, and research and educational institutions with expertise in advanced technology vehicles, distributed power generation, advanced biofuels, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

In partnership with fellow Central Indiana Corporate Partnership organization Conexus Indiana, I penned the following column -- now appearing on the Inside Indiana Business website -- highlighting some of the monumental clean-tech energy and Indiana advanced manufacturing success stories coming out of the first 45 days of 2010.

 

About Conexus: Conexus Indiana is the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative, dedicated to making Indiana a global leader in these high‐growth, high‐tech industries. Conexus is focused on strategic priorities like workforce development, creating new industry partnerships and marketing our competitive advantages.

Here is the column as it appears on insideindianabusiness.com:



2010 Off to a Fast Start in Green Manufacturing Success Stories

What do you get when you combine cutting edge technologies, a legacy of engineering expertise, and a rich manufacturing heritage? A flurry of good news that puts central Indiana in the driver's seat of activity to put more electric vehicles on our highways and make renewable energy a practical reality. And if the rest of the year looks anything like the first few weeks, 2010 will be known as the Year of Clean-Tech here at the Crossroads of America.

Let's run down a few of the highlights:

In Anderson, Ind., Remy International announced a new business unit dedicated solely to the development and manufacturing of electric and hybrid motors. Remy is already the largest U.S. producer of hybrid motors, and last year earned a $60 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of an initiative to fuel development of electric vehicle batteries and components.

The move could spur significant investment and create hundreds of new jobs over the next few years, and appears to already be paying dividends – Remy just announced a major contract to supply Mercedes with hybrid motors.

When it comes to electric vehicles, the "green-tech" juggernaut known as EnerDel continues to produce new jobs and investment in the Indianapolis Region, along with cutting-edge batteries. As the only U.S. manufacturer of the lithium ion batteries that power hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, EnerDel has tapped the rich reservoir of engineering talent that created General Motors' EV1 and other groundbreaking projects here in the region. EnerDel just announced a major new manufacturing facility in Greenfield, Ind., that will ultimately employ 1,100+ -- thus expanding a footprint in greater Indianapolis that includes its northeast Indy headquarters and a battery pack assembly facility in Noblesville, just north of the city.

Throughout the state, tremendous wins are being registered in attracting clean tech manufacturing. Think North America, an electric car manufacturer, has chosen Elkhart as the site of its first U.S. manufacturing plant, joining Electric Motors Corp and NaviStar as the hub of a growing green vehicle cluster along Indiana's northern border.

Brevini Wind (in Muncie, Ind.) has earned $12.8 million in federal tax credits to manufacture gear boxes and other technologies for its massive wind turbines. Just a few weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chu visited Columbus, Ind., to announce $54 million in federal stimulus grants to Cummins to increase engine fuel efficiency.

Like any high-tech, innovation-driven industry, the clean tech sector demands a skilled workforce. Here too, Indiana is making great strides, as the state's Department of Workforce Development recently secured a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help workers from other manufacturing sectors take advantage of new jobs in the clean tech space.

The Indy Partnership has aggressively pursued companies in the energy innovation and green manufacturing arenas, both here and abroad – including multiple visits to Europe and China. We plan to continue these recruiting efforts in the years to come, and the level of activity so far in January tells us that our hard work is paying off.

Download our Indiana Clean-Tech Energy Industry Report.

Central Indiana has a long-term strategy designed to strengthen our world-class clean tech sector and re-energize our manufacturing base. Our sister initiative, Energy Systems Network, is playing a leading role in making Indiana a center for energy innovation. The success stories that have marked the start of 2010 are early dividends, but we're confident the best is yet to come.

As the economic development arm for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and the 10-county Indianapolis Region, Indy Partnership will be doing its part to tell this story and maximize our potential in this booming area of cutting-edge clean technology industries. In Indiana, green tech means green jobs; in other states, they're just green with envy at our success.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels recently made the claim, "Indiana is becoming a location of choice for companies in the renewable energy industry." As a director of research, I reject broad, sweeping claims -- particularly those made by politicians -- unless they are backed up with credible data. It's a "show me the numbers" approach that would make any high school forensics/debate teacher proud.

Governor Daniels, it seems, has the numbers on his side. Hoosiers are already benefiting from an emphasis on alternative fuel vehicles and clean-tech or renewable energy. From 1998 to 2007, the number of sustainable energy jobs in Indiana grew by 17.9 percent, nearly double the growth rate of the rest of the United States, according to The Pew Charitable Trust.

PHOTO CAPTION: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (left) and Charles Gassenheimer, chairman and CEO of Ener1, the parent company of Indiana company EnerDel, pause for a photo together inside one of EnerDel's manufacturing facilities. Gassenheimer is holding one of the company's lithium-ion battery cells.

Furthermore, consider these recent announcements:

• Lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel will locate its newest manufacturing operation in Hancock County (within the 10-county Indianapolis region) and create hundreds more jobs than originally projected. EnerDel, a developer of batteries and energy storage systems for hybrid, plug-in electric and electric vehicles, will soon have more than 1,400 employees working at three Indianapolis region locations.
   
• THINK, a leading international manufacturer of pure electric vehicles, plans to locate its North American production facility in Elkhart, Ind., creating more than 400 jobs by 2013.
   
• Delphi Corp., a global electronics maker, will establish a new production facility in Kokomo, Ind. (just north of the Indianapolis metro) to manufacture products for the electric drive vehicle market, creating an estimated 190 new jobs by 2014.
   
• White Construction Inc., a contractor for renewable energy projects throughout North America, will expand operations and build its new headquarters in Clinton (between Indianapolis and Chicago), creating up to 70 new jobs by 2012.
   
• According to the American Wind Energy Association, Indiana is a leading state in adding new wind capacity -- ranking second in the nation in 2009 and first in 2008.

Purdue to find game changing way to produce biofuels

The center will investigate methods to bypass the currently used processes involving biological fermentation, reducing the need for large and expensive biorefineries and expanding the range of biofuels beyond ethanol.

The Department of Energy also chose Purdue's project as one of 16 that will be funded by President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The five-year project to develop direct conversion technologies of plant biomass to fuels will create at least 20 new jobs for students, postdoctoral researchers and professional staff in Indiana and another eight jobs at partner institutions, said Maureen McCann, the associate professor of biological sciences who leads the project.

"This center will not only build the knowledge base that will give us a new generation of technologies in energy research for future implementation, but also has the potential to impact work force opportunities," she said. "New jobs are created directly through the funds given to the center, but there also will be a ripple effect as those we train go on to academia or industry and conduct their own enterprises in energy research. If we are successful in this program of high-risk, high-reward research, then it will result in job creation on a much wider scale as these new technologies are implemented into the green economy."

The Purdue center, named the Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels, or C3Bio, will investigate methods to directly convert plant lignocellulosic biomass, the bulk of the plant, to biofuels and other bio-based products currently derived from oil by the use of new chemical catalysts and thermal treatments. The team aims to produce fuels that closely resemble gasoline in terms of their molecular makeup and energy density, she said.

The center team, which includes experts from the fields of biology, chemistry and chemical engineering, will study the interactions between catalysts and plant cell walls to design improved chemical reactions for the biomass-to-biofuel pipeline.

Mahdi Abu-Omar, a professor of chemistry, will co-chair the center with McCann. The research team also includes Nick Carpita, Clint Chapple, Dan Szymanski and Nathan Mosier from the College of Agriculture; Rakesh Agrawal, Nick Delgass, Fabio Ribeiro and Kendall Thomson from the College of Engineering; and Hilkka Kenttämaa, Chris Staiger and Garth Simpson from the College of Science.

The center will collaborate with the University of Tennessee, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, which have facilities capable of examining the interaction of catalysts with biomass at the atomic level, McCann said.

"The science of chemical catalysis hasn't been much applied to turning biomass into biofuels," McCann said. "We thought there was a real gap in applying a science that is the foundation of the petrochemical industry but for which very little research exists on living plants, or as we like to call them, young coal."

Most of the reactions used in the petrochemical industry, starting from oil, rely on inorganic chemical catalysts, McCann said. For example, inorganic catalysts are used to generate ethylene and propylene, which are then used to create polymers, paints and other materials.

In current fermentation technology, biological catalysts are used to break down starch in corn kernels to glucose, and living organisms, such as bacteria or yeast, also use their own enzymes to produce ethanol from the glucose. Research is being carried out to use biological catalysts to break down plant biomass as a much more abundant source of glucose and other sugars for fermentation by the bacteria or yeast.

"Biological catalysts are fragile," Abu-Omar said. " Chemical catalysts have played a critical role in providing us fuels in the 20th Century from petroleum. In the 21st Century we will need robust and cheap chemical catalysts to provide us with renewable fuels directly from biomass."

The current biological catalysts used also have difficulty in dealing with lignin, a highly complex macromolecule within the plant cell wall. Lignin prevents access to the polysaccharides in the wall that are the source of the useful glucose and xylose, McCann said.

"The fermentation technologies are only 40 to 50 percent efficient in terms of the carbon atoms you started out with in the biomass ending up in fuel molecules," she said. "We think with different catalysts, the lignin could actually be used and converted to fuel molecules. If we can use the lignin, there is the potential to double the amount of fuel from each unit of biomass. Also that fuel could be more energy-dense, more similar to gasoline, than ethanol."

Bypassing the fermentation process also could help scale down biorefinery size, she said.

"If you could use chemical catalysts or a combination of catalysts with heat, you might be able to scale down the large and expensive refineries that you need to carry out the fermentations," McCann said. "It may even make mobile hydrocarbon refineries possible, where you could take the refinery to the field instead of having to transport heavy biomass to another location."

McCann said the interdisciplinary team that draws on a variety of Purdue's strengths was instrumental in getting the award and will drive the center's success.

"With a group that combines multiple areas of expertise, ideas that are at the boundaries of disciplines start to emerge," she said. "Purdue has deep expertise in plant cell wall biology,  developing new scientific instrumentation, the chemistry of catalysis, and in thermal process engineering and the design of catalysts. In addition, we are located in Indiana, which has the necessary agricultural landscape for the development of biofuels, and great connections already exist between farmers, agribusiness, the state of Indiana and Purdue researchers. 

Purdue's long history of research in biofuels and supporting areas add to its strength, McCann said. The center has plans to establish connections with various research hubs across campus and other national research centers.

"Purdue has researchers that have been working on different aspects of energy biosciences for decades, building the foundation for the future," she said. "This center will bring together the massive amount of talented work that the university has accrued and will apply it to the next step in achieving a viable alternative energy source to finite and foreign oil."

Source:  www.Purdue.edu, May 7, 2009.

You may view other regional assets in the alternative fuels area in Indiana by clicking here.

So at 8:00 o'clock this morning, the delegation boarded the bus and began the three-hour drive from Shanghai to Hangzhou. Governor Daniels called shotgun; yes, sometimes it's good to be governor. I sat next to Mayor Wayne Seybold of Marion; yes, sometimes it's good to be mayor. Anyway, I had a great conversation with the Mayor about the innovative things they're doing in his community to spur economic growth. This is his third trip to China in the past 9 months, and each time, he's following up with companies and contacts to make the case for investing in Marion. It sounds like his community has some great opportunities as a result of his hard work, and we all can benefit from Mayor Seybold's example here: be strategic, committed, and focused on the long-term. (In case you're wondering, this is an unpaid, unsolicited commercial for Mayor Seybold; I just think it's important to give credit to creative public leaders).

After sitting in Shanghai rush hour traffic for about an hour (trust me, after sitting in this stuff for two days, the traffic on I-69/I-465 each morning should be embarrassed to call itself congestion), we hit clear sailing for our next destination: Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province.

Our tour guide, a native Shanghainese, cracked us up when she referred to Hangzhou, with no sense of irony, as a small bedroom suburb of Shanghai. Small, as in only 6 million+ people living there (compared to Shanghai's 20+ million residents). 

For all of its modern ways -- nice charter bus, new highways -- China can still surprise you with a throwback to days gone by. We stopped at a rest stop after a couple of hours for a coffee and restroom break, and just as we were about to hop off the bus to grab a snack, the tour guide reminded the women to take their own toilet paper with them. Yeah, that's right, it's BYOTP in most public toilets in China. (And now you know why pocket size Kleenexes were on the suggested packing list for the trip).

So on one hand, you have to pack your own paper for a public restroom that looked like it was channeling the 1950's. But a mere 100 meters away, running parallel to the interstate, work crews were building huge concrete pilings and supports for a high-speed rail track that will connect Shanghai and Hangzhou. So here's the question that interests me: do you think they'll have toilet paper in the bathrooms of the 265-mph bullet trains that will run on those new tracks? Who knows; maybe it's just easier to hold it when you're going that fast.

I simply can't describe all the construction activity we saw on the drive into Hangzhou. At one place, at least 20 sky cranes were lined up in a row, lifting midrise office or apartment buildings of 10-20 stories each out of the ground.

We arrived at the Hangzhou Shangri-La with just enough time to grab a bite for lunch before heading over to a special event on the hotel's grounds: the public launch of Hangzhou hybrid transit buses powered by Cummins engines.

The Hangzhou Transit Company has nearly 1,400 buses -- a third of its fleet -- that are powered by Cummins diesel engines. Today the company launched 50 new buses that employ hybrid technologies along side the diesel engine, that will permit fuel savings of 20% or more. Check out the Governor's website for more coverage of this event, if you're interested.

What's the Indiana connection, other than a great Indiana company doing good things on the other side of the globe? Cummins is a key partner in the "Hoosier Heavy Hybrid" initiative, working with Delphi, Duke Energy and Allison Transmission, among others, to create heavy and medium weight hybrids. You can check out a nifty little video on the program on the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership's website. Part of my focus on this trip has been talking about that initiative and many others, including a meeting tomorrow with a Chinese auto manufacturer to talk about electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

One last note: today was a very lucky day in China. The number 9 is considered to be a lucky number, so the date of 9/9/09 (or 09/9/9, as the Chinese might write it -- year, date, month) will only be surpassed in 90 years as the luckiest date on the calendar. That made it a good day to get married in China. As far as I know, none of our delegation participated in that local custom today. 

An exceptional editorial appeared in the Indianapolis Star newspaper this morning about clean technology and advanced manufacturing in Indiana. Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of Energy Systems Network (an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership), offers an insider's perspective on why Indiana is making so much progress in the clean-tech energy space.

Jump-start for green vehicles

President Barack Obama this month traveled to Northern Indiana to announce $2.4 billion in federal stimulus funds aimed at accelerating the U.S. green vehicle industry -- grants to companies and institutions working on advanced batteries and other components that will make it possible to put more hybrid and plug-in electric cars and trucks on our highways.

The president brought the media spotlight to Wakarusa, but he also came with $416 million in grants to Hoosier companies and universities, making Indiana the second-largest recipient of funding for advanced vehicles, behind only Michigan.

There's always criticism about how federal largess is distributed, and this was no exception: Many said that too much funding went to companies that are large and traditional, not innovative enough, already being bailed out by government. Some of this criticism is certainly valid. But I'd argue that Indiana is taking an approach that is driven by collaboration and innovation, leading to new opportunities that will be accelerated by -- but not dependent on -- federal support.

Here's an example: Six months ago three of Indiana's leading automotive companies -- Delphi, Allison Transmission, and Cummins -- announced an effort to work together to develop and bring to market a suite of technologies for light and heavy trucks. (Trucks are by far the biggest consumers of oil and source of emissions; it's estimated that one hybrid bus can save as much fuel and emissions as 40 hybrid cars.)

Recognizing that no one company has the solution to a major energy challenge like commercializing green trucks, the firms agreed to form the Hoosier Heavy Hybrid Partnership under the auspices of the new Energy Systems Network initiative. Over time this loose partnership expanded to firms including Remy and EnerDel, creating a network of companies with a clear vision and roadmap to remain, or in some cases become, leaders in green cars and trucks.

So when the federal government began investing billions in the next generation of automotive technologies, the Hoosier Heavy Hybrid Partners stood ready to respond. And they won big, with some $320 million among them (the largest share going to newcomer EnerDel, which received $118 million).

Also important is the way these Indiana companies secured their share of federal dollars. In addition to working collaboratively, they also put their own skin in the game (a rarity these days) to cover the nearly 1-to-1 match requirement, making the total win closer to $1 billion in capital invested in engineering and manufacturing. In my mind, this separates Indiana from Michigan, where the money flowed primarily to automakers already being propped up by the federal government or foreign firms being enticed by state tax credits that covered their match with more taxpayer dollars.

Lastly, Indiana's federal payday, while welcomed, is really just a down payment. Building cars and trucks is an expensive business, especially when you add the research and development investment necessary to cut oil use and emissions in half, or completely electrify the vehicles. The $1 billion being invested in Indiana is just the tip of the iceberg. And the follow-on investment isn't just federal money, although there are a number of Indiana firms (including Bright Automotive) that deserve to be on the list of winners being selected by Washington.

Far more important than the federal investment is the private investment that has been waiting on the sidelines for the tsunami of government energy dollars to subside so they can lay their bets likely doubling up on Uncle Sam in many cases. The clean technology sector saw more than $7.7 billion in venture capital investment in 2008. With this round of federal grants in place, this flow of private dollars should resume -- and smart money will find its way to the opportunities fostered by new partnerships here at the Crossroads of America.

In short, it's an exciting time to be involved in the energy and clean technologies sectors in Indiana. When you start with strong call to action from the state and a group of corporate and institutional leaders with a willingness to collaborate, the opportunities for growth and job creation are tremendous. Our recent federal windfall confirms our position as a center of innovation in green vehicles. Now it's up to us to capitalize on Indiana's opportunities across the energy eco-system -- in wind power, smart grid, biofuels, distributed power generation and more -- and stay on the cutting edge of the coming clean tech boom.

Bright Ideas

Bright Automotive is another company trying to get a foothold. Launched by people at the Rocky Mountain Institute, idealistic home to well-known energy guru Amory Lovins, Bright Automotive hopes to market a hybrid-electric van that would get six to eight times the mileage current fleet vans get.

It wants to start production in 2012 and sell 50,000 vans in 2013. Using other companies' components and its own design, Bright says it can make vans that would travel about 30 miles on a battery and as much as 400 miles on a charge and a tank of fuel.

Based in Anderson, Ind., it has collected about $20 million in support from companies like Google, Alcoa and Duke Energy. "We have hundreds of trucks," said Duke Energy spokesman Tom Williams. "We could buy as many as 200 off the bat."

But Bright Automotive, which currently employs more than 30 people, needs much more and is seeking about $450 million in loans from the Energy Department authorized by the 2007 energy bill. If the money comes through, Bright wants to ramp up to a thousand people and will employ many more at supplier companies.

Many of Bright's engineers and executives are bruised veterans of the electric car business. Bright chief executive John E. Waters was the battery pack engineer for GM's EV1, an electric vehicle briefly produced in the 1990s that inspired a loyal band of followers but was eliminated by the company. Waters is proud of the vehicle and said "my phone never rang from one customer complaining about the range or performance of the battery." The disappointment at EV1's cancellation, he said, still stings. "Those of us who lived through that are cautious about experiencing that again."

Since leaving GM, Waters has worked on lithium ion battery technology at auto parts maker Delphi and EnerDel. He developed the lithium ion battery system used in the Segway Human Transporter.

Waters says that Bright's small size is an advantage, not a handicap. He says most major auto companies have relatively small teams of 200 or so people designing cars with parts from disparate suppliers.

In Bright's case, its car's interior will be made by Johnson Controls from recyclable materials. Alcoa will provide aluminum for the rust-free exterior. Door handles and brakes will come from the major manufacturers. Bosch will provide the rear axle. Several companies are hoping to make the batteries.

Keller says Bright's business model has a better chance of success because it is planning to sell to big companies with big fleets, most of them leased. For those companies, buying an electric van is a matter of dollars and cents. And they are easier to service.

Waters adds that once a car battery needs replacing, it can still be used by utilities for the storage of renewable electricity, thus giving the used batteries some value.

"This is a mission-based enterprise that makes environmental sense as well as economic sense," Waters said.

President Obama visited Indiana on August 5, to announce $2.4 billion in high-tech federal grants. It turns out that $400 million is going to six different Indiana companies, the second-largest amount doled out among 25 states. Three of these grant recipients are located in the Indianapolis Region.

There are plenty of high-tech stories to tell relating to clean-technology, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing operations in the 10-county Indianapolis Region, which is the focus of the grants. And while each individual story is newsworthy, it’s “the sum of the parts” that communicate a compelling message to the rest of the nation and the world.

That message is that Indiana has a great deal of activity going on in major growth industries – namely hybrid-electric cars, lithium-ion batteries, and other components for electric cars and “heavy hybrid” work vehicles.

I spoke with Indy Partnership President and CEO Ron Gifford about the grants this morning and he said it’s fitting that President Obama traveled to Indiana for the announcement because “we’re for real.” Not that other regions and other states don’t have quality projects underway, but few have the advantages that we’re experiencing in the Indianapolis Region.

For example, the electric car was invented in the Indianapolis Region and several of the original GM engineers who worked on the EV1 are now leading hybrid-electric car companies and suppliers making headlines here. The region’s strengths in manufacturing and advanced manufacturing are already nationally recognized as well as our strong competitive position in transportation distribution and logistics. Together with leading research universities and other post-secondary institutions (six of which just received clean-technology stimulus grants of their own) and a trained, available advanced-manufacturing workforce, the Indianapolis Region is “for real.”

In a news story released today by our friends at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, a Portland, Ind. company called Sertech Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. was recently awarded a $77,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to further develop its proprietary solar technology.

From the story: "Under development by Sertech Owner Wayne Blevins for nearly five years, the company's Solar Thermal Energy Storage Vessel is similar in size to a residential water heater and contains a proprietary mix of environmentally friendly chemicals that can more efficiently store the sun's heat. Sertech is using the grant to fund a feasibility study with Ball State University."

While Portland, Ind. is located just outside of the 10-county Indianapolis Region, this story is yet another example of Indiana innovation and leadership in the clean-technology, renewable energy space. There are currently more than 100 Central Indiana companies working with or developing new products and technologies that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Both Bright Automotive with its 100 miles-per-gallon fleet vehicle, and EnerDel with its comprehensive hybrid-electric battery production have been making national headlines for a while now. But lesser known clean-tech energy projects are underway here, too.

Projects such as the collaboration between Cummins, Allison Transmission and Delphi called Hoosier Heavy Hybrid, which seeks to bring more cost effective light, medium and heavy duty hybrid trucks to market. And Project Plug-IN, a collaboration among auto, technology and utility companies, including Duke Energy and Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL). The project will build the infrastructure to support plug-in vehicles, such as "smart grid" technology that would allow Indianapolis metro commuters to plug-in and recharge their vehicles at home and in downtown parking garages.

And there are many, many more projects underway.

In fact, there is so much activity in Indiana in the clean-tech energy space and so much potential for more activity, that Indy Partnership President and CEO Ron Gifford recently made a bold statement in an address to Indy Partnership investors.

"No other region in the U.S. is better positioned to become the manufacturing epicenter for clean-tech energy compared to the Indianapolis Region," Gifford said. "In addition to our high renewable energy rankings, we offer the most productive manufacturing workforce and the best business climate in the Midwest. When coupled with our central location, our logistics infrastructure, and experienced workforce, it's hard to imagine anyone else competing on this level."

RECENT RANKINGS:

• #1 Advanced Manufacturing Technology
  The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation ranks Indiana as the top state in the U.S. in advance manufacturing technology.
   
• #1 Manufacturing Productivity
  The Census of Manufacturers determined that Indiana has the most productive manufacturing workforce in the Midwest.
   
• #1 Wind Energy Growth State
  The American Wind Energy Association ranked Indiana the fastest-growing wind energy state in the country in 2008 and continuing today.
   
• #2 Renewable Components Manufacturing
  The Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) recently identified Indiana as the 2nd best state for jobs and investment in renewable energy when normalized for population. 
   
• Twice the National Average
  Manufacturing employment makes up 13% of the Indianapolis Region's workforce, which is more than twice the national average.
   
• High Manufacturing Facility Concentration
  The Indianapolis Region has more than 375 manufacturing facilities with greater than 50 employees.

IU, Purdue use YouTube spot to highlight Indiana Innovation Alliance



BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University and Purdue University may be oil and water when it comes to athletics, but thanks to the Indiana Innovation Alliance, an effort to foster life sciences research and partnerships throughout Indiana, they're more like . . . Indiana corn and butter. Persimmons and pudding. YouTube and viral marketing.

A new, 30-second YouTube video expresses the partnership in a humorous tone that gets the point across: IU and Purdue are actually working together. The spot hints at a new, research-based collaboration between the two powerhouse universities that will ultimately result in better health and more jobs in the state.

A screen shot from the new IU-Purdue YouTube video to promote the Indiana Innovation Alliance.
Bill Stephan, vice president for engagement at IU, said the video -- which pairs quirky graphics and hand-drawn sketches with a humorous voice over -- is designed to heighten awareness of the Alliance and highlight the collaboration between the two universities. "We're trying to take advantage of emerging communications trends and technology to communicate what we think is an important message to a range of stakeholders," Stephan said.

"The Alliance allows us to optimize the research capacity that exists at both Indiana University and Purdue University in core strategic areas and at the same time, bring an advantage to the state's economic prospects in both the biosciences and life sciences arenas," Stephan said.

In this video, viewers won't be saddled with a lengthy explanation of the Alliance or the life sciences, said Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement.

"It is simply meant to create a little buzz about an unprecedented partnership," Lechtenberg said.

The video was created by staff in the IU Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations, with input from Purdue colleagues. Both universities have developed concept papers, presentations, a Q and A, a Web site and a brochure about the Alliance. A series of op-eds are in the works. The YouTube video is a way to get the word out to a diverse audience before rolling out the rest of the public relations campaign.

"We want to convey the message that by Purdue and IU working together, the entire state will benefit," Lechtenberg said. "We have a diverse set of stakeholders in this, from state government, agencies and organizations to business investors to researchers and even to upcoming students and a work force that could benefit. So we're reaching out in many different ways."

The video -- which may be the first in a series -- is a fun, low-budget clip that expresses the essence of the project through humor and the campaign's theme: "Building the Indiana Innovation Alliance, to create better health and more jobs . . . for all of us."

For more information about the Indiana Innovation Alliance, see http://www.indianainnovationalliance.org/index.html.

By: Nathan Feltman - Secretary of Commerce and President, Indiana Economic Development Corporation

as seen on Inside Indiana Business



Intellectual capital, public support, academic partnerships, workforce excellence, and business and industry collaborations are the driving Indiana's life sciences industry. As a center of innovation in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries for more than a century, the Hoosier state is home to the second-highest concentration of biopharmaceutical jobs in the nation and the fifth largest pharmaceutical industry in the country.

Indiana's life sciences growth continues to accelerate. Witness the recent doubling of work force in nearby clinical laboratories, like AIT Labs and DCL Laboratories, along with the doubling in size of contract biotech manufacturer Cook Pharmica in Bloomington. Consider the thousands of new life sciences jobs that are coming to Indiana after Gov. Mitch Daniels' direction to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to aggressively seek new job-creating investment in the life sciences to further strengthen and diversify the Hoosier economy. Those efforts have resulted in thousands of new job commitments from companies such as Medco (1,300 new jobs), Arcadia (300 new jobs), Precision Rx (1,200 new jobs) and Beckman Coulter (275 new jobs).

And while the large global companies capture the headlines, the state and BioCrossroads are ensuring the big life sciences companies of tomorrow are incubated and grown in Indiana with the help of seed capital from the state's 21st Century Research and Technology Fund along with BioCrossroads' Seed Fund. Together, these funds have provided seed capital for promising companies like Schwartz BioMedical, Kylin Therapeutics, QuadraSpec and ImmuneWorks, keeping these companies, their technologies and the promise of new high-wage jobs here.

By any measure, when it comes to life sciences and the growth of this highly desirable sector of high-skill, high-value, high-promise jobs and great companies, Indiana is winning. This is competition at its most intense, and we're playing to win.

To deliver that success we must continue to focus on strengthening the ties between innovations developed at our colleges and universities and businesses who can transform those innovations into life-changing and life-saving products and services. We must also ensure that we continue to offer the low-cost, pro-business environment – including low utility costs, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance rates – that has become a hallmark of the Hoosier state.

As our economy faces new challenges with increasing gas prices and tightening credit markets, we must continue steadfast in our effort to strengthen and diversify Indiana's economy in part by building upon our great successes in the life sciences. The high-skilled, high-wage jobs of this industry hold great promise for our state, and together I know we can realize the opportunity that has yet to fully unfold for Hoosiers in this exciting industry.

Nathan Feltman is Indiana Secretary of Commerce&President of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

EnerDel Batteries will Power Hybrid, Electric Cars:

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 21, 2008) - Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from lithium-ion battery developer EnerDel today to announce plans to locate the company's new global manufacturing and development operations here, a move that is expected to create more than 850 new jobs across the state through 2012.

The developer of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid, plug-in electric and electric vehicles will expand its Indianapolis research and cell production center, build and equip a battery pack assembly center in nearby Noblesville, and locate a full-scale manufacturing operation at a still to be selected location in the Hoosier state.

"Eight hundred fifty jobs of any kind is great news. When those jobs are in a technology of tomorrow, like electric cars, it offers the prospect of even bigger news to follow. Indiana has what it takes to lead this automotive revolution and today is step one," said Daniels.

Part of Ener1, Inc., (AMEX: HEV), EnerDel currently operates a 92-person production facility on the northeast side of Indianapolis and plans to begin hiring additional engineers, production associates and administrative staff later this year.

EnerDel, founded in 2004, develops lithium-ion batteries for automotive manufacturers that are lighter, occupy less space, provide more power and have a longer life than the nickel metal hydride batteries found in today's hybrid vehicles.

"Indiana is the heart of America's manufacturing might, and a linchpin in the automotive industry. There is no better place to invest in the clean, green, energy efficient technology we need to power today's global economy," said Ulrik Grape, president and chief executive officer of EnerDel. "Indiana's educated, experienced workforce is second to none, and the enthusiastic commitment we have received from Governor Daniels and other leaders is absolutely unparalleled. We couldn't be happier to call this our home."

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered EnerDel up to $7.125 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $58,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. The cities of Indianapolis and Noblesville will consider property tax abatement at the request of the Indy Partnership. The company will also seek local incentive offers from Indiana communities for the third manufacturing location.

"There is no doubt that EnerDel is a leader in advanced manufacturing, and we are fortunate that their new global manufacturing and development operations will be located here in Marion County," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. "They are not only bringing great jobs and investment to our county, but they are serving as a sign that Marion County is a great home for the future of manufacturing."

"We are honored and excited that a growing and innovative company like EnerDel has chosen to expand its operations to the city of Noblesville," said Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear. "What a fine testament to the talented, hard-working people of this city and the business-friendly environment our economic development team has worked so hard to create. We look forward to working with EnerDel and to potential future development with them," said Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear.

"The lithium-ion battery will revolutionize the hybrid and electric car industry and will make it a reality for the mass market in the very near term," Grape said. "EnerDel has a unique lithium-ion chemistry and advanced battery system that provides the safest and most economical energy solution for automotive applications."

EnerDel is presently the only manufacturer producing lithium-ion batteries in the U.S. for the automotive market. The company recently received the prestigious R&D 100 award for excellence in its technology and uniquely innovative design. The award is shared by EnerDel and its partners at the Argonne National Laboratory.

EnerDel is a participant in U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, a collaborative research effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, aimed at developing hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle batteries that will enable mass production for electric drive vehicles.