Boosting Nebraska’s Bioeconomy: A New Era of Biomanufacturing Advances
With a significant push from a $15 million grant by the National Science Foundation, Nebraska is poised to become a hub for companies converting agricultural products into consumer goods like fuels and plastics. This two-year funding is part of an initiative led by RuralSTAMINA, which aims to support startups and students in the biomanufacturing sector.
RuralSTAMINA, based at Iowa State University, collaborates with approximately 70 partners across Nebraska and Iowa, including research institutions, businesses, and investment groups. Nicole Buan, a biochemist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, highlighted the program’s objective to bridge the gap between scientific research and business expertise. “We have people who have more expertise on the business side of things, but they’re going to need to work with researchers to know how to support a science business, so that’s the kind of thing that RuralSTAMINA will do,” Buan stated. “It’ll broadly benefit Nebraska’s bioeconomy.”
The bioeconomy, which involves turning biological materials into secondary consumer goods, is currently valued at $4 trillion and is projected to grow to $10 trillion in the next decade. If successful, RuralSTAMINA’s federal funding could expand to $160 million over ten years.
This funding is part of the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program, where RuralSTAMINA joins 12 other initiatives in the program’s second cohort, competing against 71 other proposals. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Interim Chancellor Katherine Ankerson expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity, noting, “This award is very exciting and a testament to the life-changing research our university contributes to Nebraska.”
Building a strong biomanufacturing industry in Nebraska is seen as a potential boon for the rural economy. Buan points out that most contributors to the global bioeconomy are small to medium-sized companies, which benefit from proximity to their feedstock sources, commonly found in the Midwest. Nebraska U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that keeping manufacturing local can spur economic growth and job creation. “Together, Nebraska and Iowa lead the nation in agricultural production,” Fischer said. “Because RuralSTAMINA plays to our region’s strengths, this Engines award will help drive innovation in the bioeconomy and, in turn, provide a boost to our farm economy.”
RuralSTAMINA aims to foster innovation through the growth of small startups exploring new ways to utilize bio-products. These products range from vaccine components and textiles to papers and cell phone parts. Buan’s startup, Molecular Trait Evolution, exemplifies this innovation. “We developed technology together in the lab. These are enhanced enzymes for processing grain or soybeans, and it helps to unlock more oil and more sugars that can then be fermented into ethanol or other biofuels and bio-products,” Buan explained.
With the support of the NSF Engines funding, RuralSTAMINA aims to unlock venture capital and bolster small startups in the region. Buan emphasized the importance of cooperation between Iowa and Nebraska in securing these resources, stating, “It’s been a multi-year process and partnership between Iowa and Nebraska to make the case for the resources that we’re able to bring to bear. It’s really important for the federal government to see that there’s local support for these federal investments.”
