Iowa State University will lead a $160 million National Science Foundation initiative to develop specialty products from agricultural biomass, the agency announced today.
The RuralSTAMINA project received $15 million in initial funding over two years, with up to $160 million available over 10 years if research milestones are met. The program is one of 12 projects selected for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines awards.
“Innovation and collaboration are part of Iowa State’s DNA and this award is a testament to those strengths,” said David Cook, Iowa State president.
The initiative will focus on creating high-value specialty products such as coatings, pesticides, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics and animal vaccines from biomass. Previous biomass conversion efforts have concentrated on low-cost, high-volume fuels.
More than 70 public and private partners across Iowa and Nebraska are participating in the effort. Core partners include the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southeast Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, BioConnect Iowa, the Iowa Biotechnology Association and Invest Nebraska.
Peter Dorhout, Iowa State vice president for research and principal investigator, said the project aims to develop value-added products from agricultural production and stimulate economic growth in rural communities.
The NSF Engines program works to accelerate development of critical technologies, grow regional economies and secure America’s position at the forefront of science and technology.
“The NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine will transform agricultural resources into new products, create jobs, strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity, and boost economic stability in rural communities across the Midwest,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director.
The selection process started with more than 300 letters of intent from every U.S. state and territory. NSF selected 71 projects for consideration, which was narrowed to 15 finalists before the final 12 were chosen.
