BioMADE, a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute, has selected Iowa to establish a bioindustrial manufacturing scale-up facility at Iowa State University’s (ISU) BioCentury Research Farm in Boone.

The 15,000-square-foot facility will include 5,000-liter and 10,000-liter fermenters and downstream processing equipment, enabling companies to scale up fermentation-based technologies using Iowa’s agricultural feedstocks, with an opening date of early 2028.

At a total project value of $40 million, BioMADE has committed at least $20 million, which will be matched by up to $10 million in cost-share contributions from ISU and $10 million in funding from IEDA’s Strategic Infrastructure Program over two fiscal years.

BioMADE will operate the facility in coordination with ISU Research Park. The announcement was made at the Iowa Economic Development Authority board meeting today. This is the third major site for BioMADE. Others are in California and Minnesota.

BioMADE’s facility will be designed to complement other Iowa-based facilities, like ISU’s Center for Crops Utilization Research, to increase the speed at which companies can move through technological development and scale-up processes.

According to project officials, the bioindustrial manufacturing industry in the U.S. currently faces a scale-up challenge due to a critical lack of pilot- to demonstration-scale infrastructure. As a result, American companies often have to seek relevant facilities overseas, taking American innovation with them and risking IP loss. To address this gap, BioMADE worked with partners at the U.S. Department of Defense, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa State University and the Iowa State University Research Park to establish this facility and continue the growth of its national Pilot Plant Network.

The announcement comes on the heels of U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s visit to the Ames National Laboratory on Thursday, where he discussed the importance of research in becoming energy independent

“Iowa is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense and BioMADE to build the infrastructure needed to lead in the next generation of biomanufacturing,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a news release. “This facility will unleash new value from our agricultural resources, create high-quality jobs, and ensure Iowa remains at the forefront of bioscience innovation and global competitiveness.”

The project will support workforce development, startup growth, and technology commercialization, according to IEDA. The goal is to help Iowa diversify beyond traditional biofuels and attract early-stage companies to establish permanent operations in the state.

“Iowa’s longstanding leadership in bioindustrial manufacturing makes it an ideal site for scale-up capacity,” said Douglas Friedman, BioMADE’s CEO, in a news release. “We’re excited to work with our partners at Iowa State University to establish this site, which will secure domestic supply chains for critical consumer and defense products – while also creating new markets for American-grown crops, re-shoring manufacturing jobs, and expanding rural development.”

One of 95 active BioMADE projects nationally is the jet fuel program at ISU. This project is developing methods to scale up the conversion and recovery of fatty acids precursors for sustainable aviation fuel.

“Collaborations like the one with BioMADE, IEDA, ISU Research Park and Iowa State exemplify how these entities can come together to accelerate breakthroughs that will shape the next generation of sustainable, resilient ag technologies,” said Rick Sanders, president, ISU Research Park. “We’re proud to be part of a movement that has the potential to secure additional value and products from crops produced right here in Iowa and in turn, strengthen the bioeconomy.”