URBANA: Budzinski Announces $5 Million Federal Grant for Biomanufacturing Research At University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

URBANA, IL – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will receive a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to support groundbreaking biomanufacturing research and advance the future of sustainable production.

“For years, Central Illinois has been leading the nation in groundbreaking agricultural research,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I’m thrilled to announce a $5 million federal grant for the University of Illinois to support a project that holds immense potential to revolutionize biomanufacturing. This funding builds on the $51 million federal dollars already heading to the iFAB Tech Hub and will further cement our region as America’s Silicorn Valley. I’m excited to see this project come to fruition and the potential it will unlock for Central Illinois and the global bioeconomy.” 

This funding will support research to develop more reliable biomanufacturing processes that can be scaled up and replicated to facilitate commercial production in industries at the forefront of the growing bioeconomy, such as pharmaceuticals and biofuels. 

The project is led by Dr. Huimin Zhao, the Steven L. Miller Chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and professor of chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, and bioengineering, and Director of NSF AI Research Institute for Molecule Synthesis at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. You can learn more about the grant award here. 

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. 

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