Iowa State University (ISU), in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), has been selected as one of 12 research teams to be inducted into the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program.
ISU will lead a coalition of more than 70 partners to leverage and innovate biomanufacturing processes to produce new fuels, medicinal chemicals and industrial materials.
The NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska will receive $15 million over the next two years to facilitate research efforts. With funding in tow, the universities will utilize existing agriculture expertise, infrastructure and biomass resources to develop and commercialize cutting-edge biomanufacturing technologies.
The team will prioritize making advancements in advanced biomanufacturing to support the local and state agricultural economies. Advanced biomanufacturing turns agricultural resources – including crops, plant residues and other renewable resources – into high-value products. These products may consist of coatings, pesticides, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics, textiles, fuels, chemicals, plastics and animal vaccines.
Should research and development yield impactful results and demonstrate well-documented milestone achievement, NSF may provide the team with $160 million over a 10-year period to continue its work.
The American agriculture sector has been steadily approaching a crisis point for years. Many agricultural operations operate on thin margins, with conditions exacerbated by shifting policies, tariffs, cut federal programs and foreign wars destabilizing exports. Rural communities will need extended support to prop up regional agriculture economies without overextending resources.
Both Iowa and Nebraska make up the spine of the nation’s agricultural economy – a position that is threatened by worsening conditions for farmers. The joint venture between ISU and UNL aims to give agricultural producers and small- and medium-sized manufacturers the edge they need to rebuild and thrive.
The NSF Engines program was established in 2024 to provide research teams across the nation with federal support for critical technology research, development and implementation. These teams bridge the gap between public and private industry to innovate cutting-edge solutions to modern challenges. Operating as part of an interconnected whole, participating teams leverage the strengths of other hubs to reinforce domestic supply chains, fill capability gaps and streamline development.
Photo by Dirk DBQ, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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