BioMADE broke ground on a new pilot-scale bioindustrial manufacturing facility near Ames, Iowa. Scheduled to open in 2027, the company expects the 15,000-square-foot multi-user site to support the manufacture of products for the defense and commercial markets and create new revenue streams for farmers.
READ MORE: BioMADE Announces $40M Iowa Biomanufacturing Plant
The facility will join BioMADE sites in Minnesota and California, as one of the first three projects in its Pilot Plant Network.
“This facility provides innovators the space and equipment to test, scale and bring new ideas to life that will give our military servicemembers the materials they need to keep us safe,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “It will also strengthen America’s supply chains for biobased fabrics, adhesives, plastics and more, all while creating new markets for Iowa-grown crops.”
The facility will feature 5,000 and 10,000-liter industrial fermenters, dry and wet lab space and downstream processing capabilities to support the development of agricultural bioproducts, chemicals, animal feeds, food products like probiotics and sweeteners. It will complement existing Iowa-based programs, like Iowa State University’s Center for Crops Utilization Research.
Many biotech companies and startups scale their products overseas. Bioindustrial manufacturing leverages domestically grown crops, such as corn, soybeans and sugar beets, to produce everyday materials and strategic defense products. These include lightweight composites, anti-corrosive lubricants, fuels, high temperature-resistant foams and thermal protection systems, as well as consumer goods like plant-based fabrics, detergents, paints and coatings, adhesives, beauty and personal care items and bioplastics.
BioMADE has committed at least $20 million of the project’s $40 million value, which will be matched by up to $10 million in cost-share contributions from ISU and $10 million in funding from the IEDA’s Strategic Infrastructure Program.
