URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is at the forefront of building the U.S. bioeconomy.
A newly released report from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology calls for bold federal investments and urgent action to secure U.S. leadership in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. iFAB addresses the need to scale domestic biomanufacturing, reduce foreign dependency, and strengthen U.S. economic and national security.
“This report validates the very foundation of iFAB’s mission: to advance domestic biomanufacturing capabilities, reduce reliance on foreign production, and strengthen U.S. economic and national security,” said iFAB regional innovation officer Beth Conerty. “We stand ready to deliver on this national call for biomanufacturing scale-up, commercialization, and workforce readiness.”
iFAB is expanding its Bioprocessing Research Laboratory with a $40 million investment, adding large-scale fermentation capacity to bridge the gap between lab research and commercial production. The facility supports innovation and commercialization while training a skilled workforce. This iFAB is positioned in Central Illinois with to research, agricultural feedstocks, and a robust investment ecosystem.
“The University of Illinois has spent decades building one of the most robust biotechnology innovation ecosystems in the country, right here in the heartland — where breakthrough research, commercialization, and workforce training are deeply connected,” said Susan Martinis, the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at U. of I. “iFAB is the natural outcome of that investment, linking discovery to deployment and answering one of the nation’s most urgent priorities: scaling U.S. biomanufacturing capacity.”
iFAB is primed to lead U.S. biomanufacturing growth, an industry projected to reach $200 billion in the next 15 years.