Lilly to announce $50 million grant

IU will receive a $50 million donation from the Lilly Endowment toward its genomics research initiative. The grant will be announced today and will be the second investment Lilly has made to IU since its initial $105 million grant two years ago.\nIU Interim President Gerald Bepko said the Indiana Genomics Initiative, which will benefit from the grant, is helping to advance the cause of genomics research. \n"We're probing the very essence of life," Bepko said. "As our society matures, people believe and understand that people can increase their longevity." \nINGEN is IU's largest research project and began in 2001, a year after a working draft of the human genome was announced. \n"There's a substantial investment of University resources already," Bepko said. "We have to keep investing in our strengths."\nThe University said it hopes the grant encourages the state, foundations and other private investors to contribute toward the project. \nIU spokesman Bill Stephan said IU hasn't decided where to invest the money yet, but cited the College of Arts and Sciences as a strong possibility.\nHe said part of the grant will go to the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Medicine. \nStephan said the money would help fund phase two of the multi-disciplinary science building. \n"It's a spectacular achievement," said Dean of IU's School of Medicine Craig Brater said.\nHe said he believes the reason for the grant was detailed progress reports and results from IU's continued life sciences research.\n"My presumption is they made a lot of progress with their initial grant and must be pretty satisfied with what the University is doing," Brater said. "I think what also feeds into it is that we give very detailed reports about what's going on."\nBepko said he hopes the state can continue to support the University's research.\n"The state has a chance to play a significant role in the life sciences," he said. "So it's important that everyone puts their shoulder to the wheel and helps"