Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), today announced a new microgrant opportunity to help Indiana schools launch student-led businesses (SLBs), expanding access to high-quality, hands-on work-based learning (WBL) experiences for students across the state.

As Indiana works to expand access to WBL, schools face significant challenges in providing internships and other employer-based experiences at the scale needed to meet growing student demand. Ascend’s modeling indicates that statewide demand could increase from approximately 15,000 WBL experiences per cohort today to as many as 34,000 by the fall of 2028, requiring up to 19,000 additional experiences annually.

One strategy to help address this gap is the expansion of SLBs, which can help schools and employers overcome common barriers, including transportation, scheduling constraints and limited employer capacity, by providing meaningful, hands-on experiences within the school setting. SLBs are real or simulated enterprises that are designed, managed and operated primarily by students, providing opportunities to apply academic and technical learning in a school-based environment while building essential workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving and time management.

Through the new Student-Led Business Microgrant program, Ascend will award up to eight schools $5,000 each, providing up to $40,000 in total funding to support the development and launch of new SLBs. The program is designed for schools that do not currently operate an SLB and are interested in developing a high-quality, sustainable experience for students.

“Student-led businesses give students the opportunity to do real work, take ownership and build skills in an environment where their work has real meaning,” said Brad Rhorer, president and CEO of Ascend Indiana. “This microgrant program will help more schools take that first step and create opportunities for students to connect what they are learning in the classroom to Indiana’s workforce and the needs of their communities.”

Eligible models include school-based enterprises and workplace simulations recognized by the Indiana Department of Education. Proposed businesses must align with at least one of Indiana’s advanced industries: agbioscience, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, or technology.

Applications opened on September 22 and will be accepted through October 31, 2026. Priority consideration will be given to schools planning to launch their SLB on or before fall 2027. Grant funds will be issued to selected schools at the beginning of the second quarter of 2027.

Schools interested in applying can learn more and access the application at ascendindiana.com/slb-microgrant-application-2/.

The microgrant builds on Ascend Indiana’s broader statewide effort to expand SLBs as accessible, impactful and relevant WBL opportunities. Since launching the initiative in April 2026, Ascend has developed a statewide coalition, Student-Led Business Digital Hub and Student-Led Business Toolkit designed to help schools and partners strengthen and expand SLBs across Indiana.

Schools and employers can also explore examples of SLBs in action through Ascend’s case studies, including Bend Manufacturing, Creek Cattle Company, Commodore Manufacturing and STARTedUP Foundation.

The Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale), an initiative housed at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $10 million grant from the OpenAI Foundation to help governments bring AI-powered weather services to millions of farmers across South and Southeast Asia and East Africa. The initiative connects agricultural innovation with funding to help millions of smallholder farmers adapt to climate change.

The initiative is led by Paul Winters, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Notre Dame and executive director of AIM for Scale, and is housed within Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. AIM for Scale is a global initiative that has previously received support from the International Affairs Office of the UAE Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation.

The funding is part of a broader $60 million investment from the OpenAI Foundation that brings together AIM for Scale; the University of Chicago; the University of California, Berkeley; Precision Development; Digital Green and CIMMYT. Together, the organizations aim to expand access to AI-powered weather and crop disease forecasting tools for 100 million smallholder farmers over the next three years.

For Winters, the funding represents an opportunity to tackle a challenge that has long confronted the development community: how to move evidence-based innovations beyond successful pilots and into sustainable initiatives capable of reaching millions of people.

“Artificial intelligence is creating extraordinary new possibilities for farmers, but innovation alone is not enough,” Winters said. “The real challenge is ensuring that these tools become part of systems that can sustainably reach millions of farmers based in low- and middle-income countries. This funding gives us an opportunity to work with governments to translate rapid advances in AI into services that farmers can rely on year after year.”

Taking AI-powered forecasts to scale

Smallholder farmers grow approximately one-third of the world’s food, yet many lack access to timely, localized information to guide critical decisions about planting, harvesting and protecting their crops. Dry spells, storms and disease outbreaks can threaten an entire season’s production and the livelihoods that depend on it.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence are creating new possibilities for closing this information gap. AI weather models can produce reliable, localized forecasts using substantially less computing power than traditional forecasting systems. AI can also help deliver forecasts and related advice to farmers through text messages, calls, chatbots and other channels.

Research suggests that access to timely forecasts can influence farmers’ decisions about what and when to plant and how much to invest, with the potential to increase incomes and reduce crop losses.

But developing better technology is only part of the challenge.

AIM for Scale will use the OpenAI Foundation funding to help governments move AI-powered weather services from promising pilots to sustainable delivery at national scale. Working with governments, multilateral development banks, academia and implementing partners, AIM for Scale will help connect these innovations with the partnerships, technical assistance and large-scale financing needed to reach millions of farmers.

This work will draw on the complementary expertise of organizations across the broader partnership. The University of Chicago and UC Berkeley will support national meteorological agencies in tailoring and operationalizing AI weather models. Precision Development will work with governments and civil society organizations to turn forecasts into practical advice and deliver it through trusted channels. Digital Green will integrate improved forecasts into FarmerChat, its AI agricultural advisory platform, while using farmer feedback to inform forecasting teams.

A portion of AIM for Scale’s $10 million grant will be awarded through a sub-grant to CIMMYT to advance AI-enabled crop disease forecasting. CIMMYT will strengthen its wheat pathogen forecasting capabilities, using AI and NASA Earth observation data to identify potential outbreaks earlier.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced today that Givaudan, a global leader in Taste & Wellbeing, will establish a new state-of-the-art production facility in Dearborn County, creating more than 250 new jobs by the end of 2031.

“Today is a great day for West Harrison and the state of Indiana as we welcome another agribusiness leader to the Hoosier state,” said Gov. Braun. “Givaudan joins a strong agbioscience sector that is powering innovation, creating high-wage jobs and delivering essential products to customers around the world. We look forward to Givaudan joining the Indiana ecosystem and to the more than 250 good-paying jobs they will create in the southeast region.”

The Switzerland-based company will invest $215 million to establish the liquids production facility in West Harrison, constructing a more than 78,000-square-foot facility on recently acquired land on the Indiana-Ohio border. The decision to locate in Indiana follows a strategic evaluation of Givaudan’s operational footprint to meet regional demands.

Givaudan’s new Indiana site is positioned for substantial growth over time and is expected to support more than 250 jobs across diverse skill sets – highlighting the company’s commitment to fostering local talent pipelines alongside economic development partners across the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky tri-state area. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 with partial operations to begin in 2028.

“This new facility represents our continued investment and long-term confidence in our North American operations,” said Mindy Kucks, President, North America, Taste & Wellbeing. “It demonstrates the importance of the market to Givaudan and to the food and beverage industry, while keeping our growth rooted in the Greater Cincinnati regional economy. It will continue to strengthen our market and operational presence and advance the sustainable, innovative solutions that consumers love.”

Givaudan adds to a robust agbioscience industry in Indiana that contributes approximately $82.3 billion to the state’s economy. The sector supports more than 10,000 companies, including leading corporations and innovators like Corteva Agriscience, Elanco, GDM, Sustainea Bioglycols and Primient and Vital Farms, employing more than 150,000 Hoosiers. Indiana ranks among the top 10 U.S. states for agricultural products sold, exporting $4.6 billion goods each year.

“Indiana’s excellence in agriculture combined with our leadership in science and innovation across animal, human and plant health is delivering the next generation of agbioscience solutions,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich. “We are pleased to welcome Givaudan to Southeast Indiana and to the state’s global economy, which is home to more than 1,050 foreign-based businesses that provide career opportunities for Hoosiers statewide.”

Givaudan, headquartered in Switzerland, is a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing, with 167 locations worldwide, including 77 production sites, and more than 17,500 employees. Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing currently operates 17 locations across the United States and Canada and aims to shape the future of food with an expanded portfolio of products across flavors, taste, and functional and nutritional solutions.