NSF ruralstamina biomanufacturing engine in iowa and nebraska

The National Science Foundation awarded Iowa State University of Science and Technology a $7.499 million cooperative agreement on August 1, 2026, under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to establish the RuralStamina Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska.

The award funds research and development activities that bridge critical gaps in advancing biomanufacturing innovations from laboratory to pilot scale. Supported work includes developing enabling technologies such as microorganisms for manufacturing value-added bioproducts from agricultural feedstocks; designing predictable and reliable scaling processes for commercialization of biomanufacturing; and deploying sensors and artificial intelligence tools for process optimization. The bioproducts span industrial materials, food and feed ingredients, fuels, and vaccines. The initiative positions the Iowa and Nebraska region to strengthen domestic capacity in advanced biomanufacturing, reduce dependence on foreign sources for products critical to defense and health, and catalyze rural economic development in America's agricultural heartland.

The cooperative agreement runs through July 31, 2036, with place of performance at Ames, Iowa. The program brings together a coalition of more than 80 public and private partners to execute this strategy of building biomanufacturing infrastructure where biomass is grown, directly supporting the U.S. Government's biomanufacturing strategy and resilient domestic supply chain objectives.

Abstract

The NSF ruralstamina biomanufacturing engine in iowa and nebraska will advance the nation?S capacity for innovation in advanced biomanufacturing by transforming agricultural feedstocks into a wide range of value-added bioproducts?spanning industrial materials, food and feed ingredients, fuels, and vaccines?at the scale, speed, and _reliability needed to strengthen national security and rural economic prosperity. Ruralstamina builds an unprecedented domestic biomanufacturing base of great significance rooted in american agriculture, directly aligned with the U.S. Government?S biomanufacturing strategy and its call for a resilient domestic supply chain for products critical to defense, health, and industry. The NSF ruralstamina engine positions the iowa and nebraska region of service for national leadership in advanced manufacturing of BIO-based products, catalyzes prosperity in agricultural and rural communities across the region, and strengthens U.S. Competitiveness in this strategically important sector while reducing dependence on foreign sources. The strategy is direct: build the biomanufacturing economy where the biomass is grown. The technical goals for ruralstamina engine R & D investments include bridging critical R & D gaps to move biomanufacturing innovations from the lab to pilot scale through (I) developing enabling technologies such as new microorganisms for biomanufacturing of new value-added products; (II) predictable and reliable scaling up of biomanufacturing processes for commercialization, and (III) designing and deploying sensors and AI tools for biomanufacturing process optimization. The vision of ruralstamina is to lead a domestic revolution in biomanufacturing in america?S agricultural heartland where products can be manufactured close to where raw materials are most abundant. The NSF ruralstamina engine brings together a powerful coalition of more than 80 public and private partners and stakeholders and aligns with regional assets, investments, and national priorities. IT has identified critical R & D topic areas that must be advanced to drive innovations for advanced biomanufacturing. The engine will support these R & D focus areas, improve translation of innovations, and expand workforce development activities to cultivate a thriving regional innovation ecosystem of tech companies, researchers, innovators, investors, farmers, and community and industry leaders that will transform iowa and nebraska into a national hub for biomanufacturing innovation. The workforce development investments of ruralstamina are designed to meet the needs of the population in rural iowa and nebraska, wherever they are in their career trajectories. Ruralstamina will expand the biomanufacturing workforce at all levels from process and product engineers to skilled operators, technicians, and researchers to achieve biomanufacturing dominance. The engine partners maintain meaningful connections with youth, workforce development, and business leaders across all 192 counties in iowa and nebraska. Ruralstamina will grow a robust domestic supply chain that will unleash U.S. Competitiveness and strengthen rural america. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.