A new development project in the life sciences arena was announced Sept. 30 as part of a new agricultural collaboration among Dow AgroSciences, Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University and the state of Indiana.

Dow AgroSciences will become one of the largest tenants at the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, occupying 15,000 sq ft of research and office space in the newly built Herman and Heddy Kurz Purdue Technology Center.

In addition, Dow AgroSciences will be the exclusive tenant of a 6,000-sq-ft greenhouse complex to be constructed on the south side of Ross Enterprise Center.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation will support the Purdue Research Foundation in the construction of the $2.2 million greenhouse research center with a grant to assist in development costs.

Up to 30 new scientists will be working in the Purdue Research Park as part of this collaboration, with up to an additional 18 contract research workers to be hired from the surrounding community. Researchers from Dow AgroSciences will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in the Purdue colleges of Agriculture and Science and have access to some campus research facilities.

Dow AgroSciences will join the more than 160 companies already in the 725-acre Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, which has the country’s largest university-affiliated business incubation complex.