SOUTH BEND – The South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership has launched what it describes as a dynamic asset map that outlines the region’s workforce development, business innovation and entrepreneurship assets. The South Bend-Elkhart Digital Innovation Hub is part of the LIFT Network, which was created last year through a $42 million grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. The partnership says the hub fills a gap by giving industry leaders a central location to find a variety of resources they may need.

Leighton Johnson, director of education and workforce initiatives for the partnership, tells Inside INdiana Business the hub serves as a “virtual front door” to the LIFT Network.

“For anyone who’s looking to interact with LIFT or any of our region’s innovation assets…so whether they’re an entrepreneur, an entrepreneurial support organization, if they’re a business looking for some sort of technical services, or if they’re a company HR director looking to hire or develop talent, or if they’re a learner looking to engage in a program, this is the tool where they can come in, identify assets and even connect directly with those asset owners,” said Johnson.

The LIFT, or Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation, Network was created to formalize the collaborative opportunities among the region’s innovation, research and development, workforce training and educational assets.