Brief

Persistent Systems and Indiana University open life sciences informatics R&D center

Persistent Systems, the outsourced product development (OPD) services company and Indiana University, which boasts the first and largest School of Informatics in the United States, have partnered to create a research and development (R&D) center. Located in the soon-to-be completed incubator on the university’s Bloomington, IN campus, the Persistent Indiana Research Center will further the development of informatics, specifically life sciences product lifecycle services, medical research, chemistry, bioinformatics and computer science.

By leveraging the university’s many resources–including technical infrastructure and faculty informatics expertise–the Persistent Indiana Research Center will advance the creation of service offerings to help customers improve drug discovery and bioinformatics; cancer research; and instrument diagnostics. Led by Persistent’s strategic relationship manager of life sciences, Aditya Phatak and the School of Informatics’ Prof. Ed Robertson, the center’s initial project will focus on data management and analysis of biomedical data.

“Informatics is a bridge connecting IT to a particular field of study such as biology, chemistry and other disciplines,” said Dr. Anand Deshpande, president and CEO of Persistent Systems, and an alumnus of the IU School of Informatics. “As a technology services company, our teaming with the largest School of Informatics in the country demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the life sciences industry. We look forward to working with the students and faculty at Indiana University to more effectively serve private sector customers, and help further academia’s role in supporting the marketplace.”

The efforts of the center will bolster Persistent’s growing life sciences domain expertise. For Indiana University, the center will be a vital piece in its ongoing mission of advancing economic development in the state of Indiana. It will be one of the inaugural tenants in the soon-to-be completed Bloomington Incubator, a facility that will house life science and information technology start-ups.

“Having the Persistent Indiana Research Center located here at our incubator facility in Bloomington will benefit both the company and the university,” said IU Vice President for Engagement, Bill Stephan, who oversees the university’s economic development initiatives. “The Center’s presence in Bloomington will enable new collaborative relationships among colleagues in related disciplines and foment the use of information technology tools to advance our knowledge of the life sciences.”

“Industry expertise is an important component to consider when evaluating service provider capabilities,” said Eric Newmark, Research Manager, Health Industry Insights, an IDC Company. “By partnering with Indiana University, Persistent is helping to further bolster its life science resources.”