Lilly Announces Expansion of Indianapolis R&D HQ

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that it is to expand its global R&D headquarters in Indianapolis, IN, adding 130,000 square feet to its existing complex.

The new $70 million building is part of Lilly's "continued growth of its Indianapolis footprint", which has also seen a $400 million expansion initiated in 2013 to increase its insulin manufacturing capacity.

The expanded facility is set for completion in 2017, and will reportedly house flexible laboratories "that can adapt as research and technology needs evolve", and feature "open, interactive meeting spaces that are meant to spark creativity and multi-disciplinary problem-solving". The laboratory will focus its efforts on small molecules, which currently comprise about half of Lilly's investigational medicines portfolio.

This is Lilly's fourth strategic R&D expansion this year. In May, the company announced it would build a delivery and device innovation center in Cambridge,MA. In July, it heralded an expansion of its biotechnology center in San Diego, CA. And in October, the drugmaker announced an expansion of its presence at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York, NY.