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LPII Faculty Membership Program

The Lilly Purdue Innovation Institute (LPII) is committed to advancing bold science through discovery, innovation, education, and technology transfer. Leveraging the expertise of more than 2,000 faculty across the West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses, the LPII supports interdisciplinary research that strengthens the pharmaceutical ecosystem and develops the talent pipeline to address future challenges.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The LPII Faculty Membership Program provides an opportunity for eligible Purdue faculty to formally engage in center activities that:

  • Advanced research aligned with pharmaceutical discovery, product research and development, and manufacturing:
  • Foster experiential learning through undergraduate research engagement
  • Provide professional development opportunities for students and postdoctoral scholars working in member laboratories

Eligibility Criteria

Faculty applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Current Purdue University West Lafayette or Indianapolis faculty.
  • Commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and student engagement.
  • Demonstrated research excellence through grants and peer-reviewed publications. Research applicable to one or more of the following pharmaceutical areas:
    Discovery

    Integrating scientific discovery with digital technologies to automate and re-invent the drug discovery process, all focused on the discovery of the next generation of therapeutics.

    Product R&D

    There is a singular focus on translational research. Interest is in developing novel approaches to increase the efficiency, decrease the risk, and minimize the time for new therapeutic candidates to transit from pre-clinical and clinical studies to being approved products for patients.

    Manufacturing

    Production focused on efficiency, aseptic processing, automation, and sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry.

    Talent

    Focus is on improving the skill set for the students at Purdue to prepare them for the rapidly changing landscape of innovation in the pharmaceutical ecosystem. Interest in leveraging Purdue’s strengths to upskill Lilly’s workforce to stay on the cutting edge.

Membership Benefits

Membership provides:

Visibility & Recognition

  • Faculty listing on the LPII website

Funding Opportunities

  • Eligibility to apply for intramural seed funding calls
  • Potential funding support for mentoring undergraduate research aligned with the LPII student engagement program

Student & Postdoctoral Professional Development

Students and postdoctoral scholars working in member laboratories may access:

  • Exposure to Eli Lilly talent development and research teams through networking events, Lilly site visits, etc
  • Elevator pitch refinement
  • CV reviews
  • Presentation and communication skills workshops
  • Engagement sessions with LPII staff and invited industry leaders
  • Access to a growing list of microcredentials

Membership Expectations

To maintain active membership, faculty are expected to:

  • Participate in student engagement efforts that strengthen the talent development pipeline. This may include:
    • Mentorship of LPII-supported students
    • Providing aligned undergraduate research opportunities
    • Supporting existing talent development programming
    • Acknowledge LPII affiliation, when applicable, in publications, conference proceedings, and other dissemination materials

Membership participation will be reviewed annually. Faculty who are not actively engaged may be removed from the membership program.

Upon acceptance, faculty will receive a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining expectations and engagement guidelines.

How to Apply

Interested faculty should complete the online application form. Applications are reviewed by LPII leadership, and applicants will be notified upon decision.

Important Note:
LPII membership does not guarantee funded grant work associated with the Lilly–Purdue 360 Initiative, nor is LPII membership a prerequisite to be considered for funding through Lilly-Purdue 360. However, all faculty funded through Lilly-Purdue 360 will become members of LPII within 1 month of inclusion in Lilly-Purdue 360 workplans.