Purdue University

The Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) proposes accelerating regional development through innovative data analysis, collaboration, and applied research, building on the impactful work the PCRD has pursued since its designation as an EDA UC in 2005. This proposal provides an ambitious and holistic approach through technical assistance, applied research, and information dissemination to Indiana regions, taking advantage of the solid foundation and key partnerships it has built with Indiana regions and communities. Activities PCRD is proposing are diverse and include customized professional development for regional staff and leaders, expansion of regional economic resiliency models, supply chain datasets for key Indiana industries, maintenance and enhancement of the Center’s portfolio of data metrics and visualization efforts to guide decisionmaking activities of regional development organizations, adoption of artificial intelligence on the part of small manufacturers, and advancing the role that Opportunity Zones (OZs) might play in plugging industrial cluster leakages. PCRD will work in partnership with multiple local, regional, and state-level organizations on the breadth of activities being proposed in the EDA UC application, working in tandem to ensure Indiana regions are positioned to prosper in a postpandemic environment.