URBANA, IL — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), State Senators Doris Turner and Paul Faraci, EDA Tech Hub Program Director Eric Smith, EDA iFAB Program Manager Jake Wildfire, and iFAB Regional Innovation Officer Beth Conerty visited the University of Illinois’s Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab to mark the recent $51 million federal investment in the Illinois Fermentation and Agricultural Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub. 

The iFAB Tech Hub, a consortium led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, aims to boost domestic biomanufacturing capacity and improve the development and deployment of new bio-based products – all while building out a highly-skilled workforce and cementing Central Illinois’ status as the nation’s preeminent ag-tech corridor. After pushing for iFAB to be selected as one of 12 inaugural Tech Hubs across the country, Congresswoman Budzinski announced the final designation in July – including $51 million in federal funding to support groundbreaking bio-based research. 

“The $51 million federal investment in the iFAB Tech Hub will unlock explosive growth for our region and place Decatur, Monticello and Champaign at the center of a booming bioeconomy,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “It was great to join our EDA partners for today’s visit to the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab to mark the first step in this game-changing project and to learn more about how iFAB is paving the way forward in the biomanufacturing industry. The iFAB Tech Hub reflects our region’s leadership in groundbreaking agricultural research and I was proud to help secure these funds that will cement Central Illinois as our nation’s Silicorn Valley. Congratulations again to the University of Illinois and the iFAB team!”   

“It was a pleasure to tour the iFAB Tech Hub in East Central Illinois to learn more about the consortium’s component projects and visit anchor institutions involved in the initiative,” said Eric Smith, director of the Tech Hubs Program at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). “This designation and EDA’s significant investments constitute our strong endorsement of the iFAB Tech Hub’s strategy to become a global leader, and EDA looks forward to partnering with this Tech Hub as it scales up production and delivery of critical precision fermentation technologies that will advance biomanufacturing in Illinois and the United States.”

Biomanufacturing is the process of converting crops like corn and soybeans into a wide range of high-value commodities, creating more market stability for family farmers while spurring growth in bio-based businesses. While the U.S. demand and potential are great, the infrastructure to support growth is lacking. The iFAB Tech Hub is poised to respond by growing Illinois bioprocessing into a world-class hub for fermentation manufacturing.

The federal Tech Hubs Program was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act in 2022. You can read more about the Tech Hubs program at TechHubs.gov.  

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