News Release
INDIANA — BioMADE, a manufacturing innovation institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, has recently announced a shortlist of six states for consideration as potential sites to create a national network of bioindustrial manufacturing pilot facilities. The states under review include Indiana, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa and North Carolina.
Bioindustrial manufacturing can create products like cement, fire-resistant materials, durable fibers, bioplastics, food products, and other critical commodities. Bioindustrial manufacturing uses biology to convert agricultural feedstocks and waste streams to high-value chemicals, materials and other defense and industrial base products.
Currently, the U.S. faces a foundational gap in domestic pilot- and intermediate-scale bioindustrial manufacturing infrastructure. As a result, American companies that have invented innovative, state-of-the-art products and technologies often must scale up their manufacturing processes overseas. BioMADE’s proposed network of facilities will allow American companies to transition their products from the laboratory to commercial production domestically. Last year, BioMADE announced Minnesota as the site of the first facility in the national network.
Together, this network of facilities will bring back manufacturing jobs, retain American research and development efforts, provide well-paying jobs, secure a domestic supply chain for products that are critical to national and economic security, create new markets for American farmers and preserve U.S. leadership in the 21st century bioeconomy.
“By bridging the gap from lab-scale research to at-scale commercial manufacturing, these facilities will help transform American manufacturing,” said Dr. Jack Starr, chief manufacturing officer at BioMADE. “We’re excited about the opportunity to engage these six states to better understand their partnership opportunities to grow domestic bioindustrial manufacturing around the country.”
BioMADE will be connecting with partners and community leaders in these six states to better understand their innovation ecosystem, market need, feedstock availability, education and workforce availability and training, vision for the bioeconomy, and other factors that will impact the success of the national network.
BioMADE will engage our members in each state — who represent the spectrum of industry, education and workforce development, trade and research associations, and venture capital firms — throughout this process.
BioMADE will work to understand and evaluate factors such as existing utility infrastructure; access to highway, rail, and air transportation; community support for the project; fit with regional development objectives and incentives; workforce partners; and other key development criteria.
“It’s estimated that up to 60% of materials in the global consumer product supply chain could be produced using biology,” said Dr. Douglas Friedman, chief executive officer at BioMADE. “With these facilities, we’re working to ensure that those products are safely and sustainably manufactured here in the U.S. These facilities will not only benefit American workers and farmers, but all Americans by building robust and resilient supply chains for the products we use every day.”
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