U.S. Department of Defense awards $87.5 million to develop a new Production Innovation Institute sited at the University of Minnesota

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a Cooperative Contract to develop the Bioindustrial Production And Style Community, or BioMADE, as the 16th federally-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) within the Production U.S.A. network. It will be the ninth such institute sponsored by DoD. BioMADE will be located on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus with satellite workplaces in Berkeley, CA, and Cambridge, MA.

The institute will be devoted to enhancing nonmedical bioindustrial production in the United States and will be supported by a seven-year award that includes a minimum of $87.5 million in federal funds and is being matched by more than $180 million in cost sharing from non-federal sources.

“The University of Minnesota is delighted to host this major institute, and to support BioMADE in constructing a new and substantial bioindustrial manufacturing innovation community that will benefit our state, our region and beyond,” stated University President Joan T.A. Gabel. “BioMADE will leverage our already flourishing life science and medtech industries and our labor force talent to develop many new local opportunities for discovery and development, along with for entrepreneurship, financial investment and employment.”

BioMADE significantly enhances the University’s leadership in developing our future economy, said U of M Vice President for Research Christopher J. Cramer. “The U.S. bio-based economy is growing at $1 trillion yearly and some projections have it growing to as much as $4 trillion in worldwide effect yearly over the next 10-20 years. This institute will make sure that this growing national market is an essential part of our Bold North economy. It will speed up growth of our bioindustrial community, create tasks for a recently trained workforce, and include to and complement our present industries.”

Bioindustrial production involves the creation of chemical compounds and materials by engineered microbes such as bacteria, yeast and algae. These processes can yield completely brand-new items and innovations, and deal sustainable alternatives to legacy production methods reliant on non-sustainable resources such as fossil fuels. University of Minnesota scientists are establishing items such as anti-biocorrosion coatings for ships and harbors and enzymes that can purify drinking water and conserve swimming pool water. Bioindustrial business are developing fireproof composite products for aerospace applications, next-generation biofuels and films for electronic touch screens and circuit boards.

The winning BioMADE proposition, that included more than 30 companies, 33 universities, 24 community colleges, and 6 nonprofits throughout 31 states, originated from the Emeryville, CA-based Engineering Biology Research Study Consortium (EBRC). With the DoD’s requirements for a new production institute in mind, EBRC created BioMADE as a separate 501(c)( 6) nonprofit organization devoted to developing an end-to-end ecosystem to secure America’s future in the bioindustrial production field through manufacturing development, education and partnership, particularly in fields beyond medicine.”The University of Minnesota appeared early as an ideal collective partner for BioMADE. Its BioTechnology Institute has been at the leading edge of biotechnology R&D for decades and they lead the curve in considering the facilities and training requirements of the biotechnology industry,” said Douglas Friedman, Executive Director of EBRC and CEO of BioMADE. “Even before the DoD revealed interest in standing up a brand-new institute, the University was already preparing to construct a brand-new Microbial Cell Production Facility (MCPF) that aligns well with BioMADE’s objective.”

Friedman said the University’s MCPF, which is prepared to break ground in September 2021, was key to the proposal’s success, due to the fact that its facilities permits for substantial scaling of bioindustrial processing. Those capabilities will assist BioMADE assistance collaborative efforts with market to span the substantial “valley of death” that now exists between laboratory-scale technological advances and corporate investment in bioindustrial manufacturing innovations.

The University’s Bioresource Center (BRC), which has been producing microbial cells and their products for scholastic and market clients for nearly 35 years, will be moving into the new MCPF along with BioMADE. The new center will grow BRC’s capabilities for modern-day cell production services, R&D services, consulting and training programs.The co-location with BioMADE will permit brand-new synergies with market, both in your area and nationally.”With growing demand for area and centers, we had planned– and the University’s regents have approved– this new modern center on the St. Paul Campus,” said Valery Forbes, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “With BioMADE concerning campus, we are now taking a look at developing much more lab and office area in St. Paul adjacent to MCPF and at an off-campus mid-scale biomanufacturing facility where companies might co-locate for research, pilot scale-up and business production.” The University’s Board of Regents endorsed the BioMADE proposition at its October meeting and will consider authorizing it at a future conference.

Minnesota-based Cargill was an active individual in BioMADE’s advancement and anticipates being a robust partner to the institute, according to the business’s Chief Technology Officer Florian Schattenmann.

“Cargill will bring its longstanding biomanufacturing capabilities to a diverse array of new products and markets being established by modern engineering biology methods,” stated Schattenman. “We likewise anticipate working with BioMADE and the rest of the market to recognize and innovate on shared difficulties in scaleup and downstream processing to more reinforce the U.S. economy in the production of bio-industrial items.”

By combining the collective strengths of government, academic, market, and not-for-profit organizations, BioMADE will be well situated to take on the production difficulties associated with bioindustrial production, said Michael Smanski, a teacher of biochemistry and the clinical leader of the University’s component of the BioMADE proposal.

“We are positive it will stimulate the bioeconomy in Minnesota and provide essential lessons and models for communities throughout the U.S. looking for to be a part of this bio transformation,” Smanski said.