By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Indiana University and Warsaw-based Zimmer Biomet have entered into a new partnership designed to accelerate technologies that improve joint replacement, bone healing, and mobility.
The agreement will result in collaboration on research and development, technical training and credentialing, as well as workforce development initiatives.
“This is a significant moment for Indiana University,” said IU President Pamela Witten during Monday’s announcement.
“It’s exactly the kind of partnership that reflects who we are as a university. (0:27) More innovative, more engaged, and more determined than ever to move great ideas into things that have real-world impact,” she said.
It appears the agreement could serve as a direct boost to Warsw’s massive collection of orthopedic firms beyond just Zimmer Biomet.
IU’s statement on Monday says the focus will be on meeting the evolving needs of Indiana’s orthopedic sector.
Zimmer Biomet President Victor Tornos also celebrated the announcement that further deepens the orthopedic leader’s roots in Indiana.
“So when you have a bold vision, you need bold partners. And that’s what Indiana University has right here. A bold vision, with bold partners, with great students,” Tornos said.
“Today is a very exciting day, not just for the university, for the state of Indiana, but for the world,” he added.
A central component of the collaboration is Zimmer Biomet’s support and engagement in the Indiana Musculoskeletal Health Partnership for the Advancement of Care & Treatment, or IMPACT, an IU-led statewide consortium shaping Indiana’s leadership as a global hub for orthopedic innovation, the news release said.
The consortium, named a finalist in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines competition, brings together more than 100 partners across academia, industry and government to bridge the gap between patients’ unmet medical needs and the technologies that can solve them, including smarter implants and wearable diagnostics.
Zimmer Biomet will also engage with faculty and students from the IU Kelley School of Business on applied, interdisciplinary projects focused on practical challenges in the orthopedic sector, including supply chain optimization, operational efficiency and innovation strategy, the news release said.
The IU portion of the partnership will be led by the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences, known as IU LAB.
“IU LAB exists to turn Indiana University’s research strengths into solutions that matter in the real world,” IU LAB President and CEO David Rosenberg said. “The partnership with Zimmer Biomet does exactly that: embedding industry insight, shared infrastructure and market urgency directly into our research and talent pipeline.
“Together with Zimmer Biomet, we are shortening the distance between discovery and deployment while cementing Indiana as the world’s leader in orthopedic innovation,” Rosenberg said.
