INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana University and Purdue University are drafting plans to collaborate on life science research aimed at turning Indiana into a research powerhouse.

IU President Michael McRobbie said Friday that the two schools would submit a joint proposal to state lawmakers later this year for an extensive research collaboration between the schools.

He and Purdue president France Cordova said they hope their proposal is accepted and can lead to significant advances in medical devices, medical diagnostic tools and other research that falls under the broad umbrella of life sciences.

McRobbie and Cordova are in their freshman terms of their presidential duties, having been in charge of their respective universities for a little less than a year.

"With both of us being relative outsiders, both of us think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to have a new start in the state," McRobbie said Friday in Indianapolis during the Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference.

McRobbie said IU continues to make tremendous strides in the life sciences, but can do even more with Purdue's help to advance the state's dominance in that field.

Cordova said Indiana currently ranks fourth nationally in terms of the number and concentration of life science jobs.

"We've been gaining jobs in the life sciences at more than two times the national average," she said.

McRobbie said IU is literally building on that growth, with more than 2.6 million square feet of space either already under construction or approved for it. Much of that, like IU's new Simon Hall, will focus on life science research.

But he said that working with Purdue will allow both universities to reach their potential.

Mary Walshok, the associate vice chancellor of public programs and dean of university extension at University of California-San Diego, said she's been "very impressed" by the growth of life sciences research at Purdue and IU.

"Let's talk about the intellectual capital in Indiana, not just at Purdue or IU. Put your two research budgets together, and you've got a lot to compete against," she said.

Walshok said UC-San Diego used collaborations and technological breakthroughs to help transform San Diego's once-stagnant economy into a life sciences powerhouse.