Indiana Governor Mike Braun chaired the 2026 third quarter Indiana Economic Development Corporation board of directors meeting today.
News release from Indiana Governor Mike Braun’s office:
Gov. Braun Outlines 2026 Economic Momentum Creating Opportunities for Hoosiers
Indianapolis, Indiana (September 28, 2026) – Indiana Governor Mike Braun chaired the 2026 third quarter Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) board of directors meeting today, highlighting growth across jobs, wages, industries, entrepreneurship and community development that are positively impacting Hoosiers statewide.
“My vision is to make Indiana the best place in the world to start a business, grow a business and get a job – and our strategy is delivering measurable results for Hoosiers,” said Gov. Braun. “Thanks to our efforts, businesses are choosing to locate and grow in Indiana, creating new jobs with wages that will grow the median family income and ensure all Hoosiers have the opportunity to prosper.”
So far this year, 69 businesses have made plans to locate or expand in Indiana, together committing to create 5,385 new jobs with average wages of $41.71/hour – 37% higher than the state’s average wage and 14% higher than the national average wage.
Together, these new jobs are expected to create $437 million in new payroll for Hoosiers. This includes recent high-wage wins, such as Amazon (300 new jobs in Johnson County), Comlux America (375 new jobs in Marion County), Givaudan (250 new jobs in Dearborn County), GovParts (20 new jobs in Allen County) and RayzeBio (100 new jobs in Boone and Marion counties).
“Under the leadership of Governor Braun, the momentum of Indiana’s economy keeps getting stronger,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich. “Across the state, high-growth businesses are making plans to expand and hire in Indiana – a testament to our skilled Hoosier workforce and our growing, vibrant communities.”
The board shared how the strength of the Hoosier workforce and communities was on display as Indiana recently hosted the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association conference, convening representatives of local, state and federal government, academia and industry to discuss the many shared partnerships between the U.S. and Japan and to identify opportunities for shared growth across business, innovation and workforce. At the conference, Gov. Braun detailed how he is supercharging Indiana’s bustling economy and business environment, creating opportunities for continued investment and job creation that will build on the state’s strong relationship with Japan. Indiana now supports nearly 290 Japanese business facilities that provide nearly 62,000 Hoosier jobs statewide.
At today’s meeting, the IEDC also outlined recent wins and initiatives across the Governor’s priority areas of defense, regionalism and entrepreneurship.
Defense:
Gov. Braun provided an update on the state’s effort to compete for the new United States Space Academy, which was established by the federal government this summer to develop the next generation of American aerospace leaders. Indiana’s bid, which is being developed in partnership with Purdue University, builds on the state’s strengths in aerospace, engineering, national security and advanced manufacturing.
Regionalism:
The state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) continues to drive quality of place and quality of life developments across Indiana’s 15 regions. The initial $500 million READI 1.0 allocation, which is on track to be fully paid out by the end of 2026, has resulted in a total of $9.34 billion committed investment to projects and programs statewide – meaning for each state dollar invested, an additional $19 of local and private funding has been directed toward community impact.
Additionally, the board highlighted implementation of the $65 million READI Arts & Culture program supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. (LEI). The grants, which were announced in July, are set to accelerate 49 projects across all of Indiana’s 15 regions and support capacity building for another 15 projects. These projects are expected to generate approximately $369.9 million invested in Indiana arts and culture, supporting initiatives such as the revitalization of historic landmarks, pavilions and entertainment venues; development of museum exhibits, galleries and learning spaces; construction of public art and sculptures; and initiatives focused on building Indiana’s creative workforce and economy by investing in artists and entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation:
The board provided an update on new initiatives, including a $5 million grant from the 21st Century Research & Technology Fund to IU Inc. that supports a collaborative initiative to procure a state-of-the-art supercomputer. The effort, led in partnership with NVIDIA, Indiana University, Indiana University Health and other ecosystem organizations, would give Indiana businesses, innovators and researchers access to next-generation computing power, further establishing Indiana as a leader in artificial intelligence, research and innovation.
Additionally, the board highlighted recent wins for Indiana’s entrepreneurial and small business community, including:
- 22 grants awarded through the state’s Community Collaboration Fund (CCF) to support community-led, regionally driven projects to accelerate entrepreneurial education, tech enablement and small business acceleration statewide. The projects selected for 2026 CCF funding will support $1.18 million total invested and are expected to serve more than 6,000 current and aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state;
- New funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Earlier this month, the governor announced that the state secured $765,000 in competitive grant funding for the Indiana State Trade Expansion Program (IN-STEP), which helps small businesses develop and expand export-related activities, opening up new international markets for Hoosier-made goods;
- And a major win for Iron Nation-Indiana, an investment and commercialization initiative designed to strengthen Indiana’s position as a destination for innovation-driven growth. In September, IBI Ag, an Israeli ag-biotech company developing next-generation biological crop protection solutions, announced plans to establish its North American headquarters in Indiana, marking a major milestone in the company’s expansion into the U.S. market.
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