2025 was another extraordinary year for Purdue Research Foundation. From advancing transformative economic development projects to fueling record-breaking entrepreneurial growth and turning groundbreaking research into real-world innovations, PRF remains steadfast in supporting Purdue’s land-grant mission year after year.
Here are 25 Purdue-connected stories from across Purdue’s entrepreneurial ecosystem:
The Taraia Object Expedition: The search for Amelia Earhart’s aircraft
In 2026, PRF is joining ALI on an expedition to Nikumaroro Island. The team will investigate the Taraia Object, located in a lagoon, to determine whether it could be a remnant of Amelia Earhart’s plane. If the initial expedition yields promising results, PRF and ALI will plan to return for a larger excavation—an effort to uncover and help return what remains of Earhart’s aircraft, potentially solving one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.
Purdue innovations in action
Blazing a new trail for early-stage innovation: Purdue announces creation of Low Institute for Therapeutics
Prostate cancer. Malaria. Influenza. All diseases one step closer to eradication thanks to the tireless, lifelong efforts of Philip Low. Now he’s planning to usher his world-changing innovations into a new era. The creation of the Low Institute for Therapeutics (LIFT) was announced Tuesday (April 29) at an event on campus. The institute will work toward accelerating lifesaving therapeutics from the lab and into the world by funding necessary early-stage trials in partnership with Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation.
- ‘So much potential for this technology’ — Four Purdue researchers selected for 2025 Commercialization Fellowship
- Purdue Innovates Accelerator launches inaugural cohort with five Purdue-connected startups
- New report ranks Purdue #4 among U.S. universities for patents in 2024
- Purdue researchers land Trask Innovation Fund grants
Purdue Innovates updates support for both inventors and entrepreneurs
At Purdue, innovation doesn’t stop at discovery. It’s where big ideas ignite bold startups and world-changing inventions with excellence at scale. Launched in April 2023 and updated in summer 2025, Purdue Innovates helps Boilermakers transform problems into possibilities: protecting IP, launching new companies, funding bold solutions and partnering with industry to create real-world impact. Over the past two years, the initiative has unified technology transfer, startup incubation and venture investment. Now this streamlined system has even more to offer for Boilermakers to turn ideas into impact.
- Real-time boundary detection from noisy images and single-shot HDR imaging expand applications
- Researchers develop new technology to destroy hazardous substances in drinking water: ‘Will fundamentally alter our approach’
- High-tech startup CrySyst provides quality-by-control solutions for pharmaceutical, fine chemical industries
‘More than just an image’: Purdue tech extracts hyperspectral info from conventional photos
Professionals in agriculture, defense and security, environmental monitoring, food quality analysis, industrial quality control, and medical diagnostics could benefit from a patent-pending innovation that opens new possibilities of conventional photography for optical spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.
PRF transforms district and beyond
Newest restaurant in Discovery Park District at Purdue named The Lawrence, pays tribute to Beck family legacy
Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and Cunningham Restaurant Group (CRG) have named the restaurant coming to the Discovery Park District at Purdue The Lawrence, a tribute to the family’s enduring impact on Indiana agriculture. Restaurant-goers in the district will enjoy a blend of Indiana history and modern dining while at The Lawrence, the second CRG restaurant in Greater Lafayette. (Bru Burger is the first.)
New on-campus student housing opens through Purdue Research Foundation and American Campus Communities
Located at the intersection of Third Street and McCormick Road, the new housing complex is a five-story, 325,000-square-foot community designed to elevate the on-campus residential experience. The 984-bed development features a contemporary aesthetic with a prominent entry plaza for community gatherings, dual courtyards that encourage indoor-outdoor living and study lounges that anchor its form while serving as a visual landmark within the district.
2025’s bold ideas and big impact
Pluto Aerospace conducts second successful flight test, bringing hypersonic testing within reach for small businesses
Pluto Aerospace has completed the second successful flight with paid passengers on its Dash prototype, a low-cost hypersonic testbed. With this milestone, the company highlights its mission to make high-speed flight research more accessible to small businesses and startups that traditionally struggle to access costly flight programs.
“Exactly when. Precisely where. Only if.”: Insignum AgTech’s biotechnology brings precision you can see to crop protection
Insignum AgTech, a Ventures portfolio company, designed its first product to make corn visually react to fungal diseases like tar spot using natural pigments, turning leaves purple. The technology offers early warning signs as many as 10 days before visible symptoms appear, enabling farmers to make data driven decisions and treat their crops preventatively and more effectively.
Media contact: Polly Barks, phbarks@prf.org
