The Department of Defense announced 12 additional awards to bioindustrial firms via the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP). This announcement brings the DBIMP to 25 awards to date, totaling $42 million.
The awardees include Air Protein in San Leandro, California; Algenesis Corporation in San Diego; Bluestem Biosciences in Omaha, Nebraska; C16 Biosciences in New York City; Cellibre in San Diego; Danimer Scientific in Bainbridge, Georgia; Erg Bio in Dublin, California; Eastern Tennessee State University Research Corporation in Johnson City, Tennessee; FERMWORX in Columbus, Georgia; Mussel Polymers in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Onego in San Diego; and Savor Foods in San Jose, California.
These awards are part of more than 30 expected to be conferred under Executive Order 14081, "Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy," aimed at bolstering America's bioeconomic strengths while helping the Department achieve advanced defense capabilities.
"The bioindustrial manufacturing industry embodies the American values of innovation and entrepreneurship that are essential to a flourishing domestic industrial base," said Dr. Aprille Ericsson, assistant secretary of defense for science and technology within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. "These awards not only support commercial viability of bioproduction and biobased materials but also empower this industry to contribute to national security as well as our economic prosperity."
Through these agreements, companies will receive funding to produce business and technical plans detailing construction of domestic bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. Successful projects selected under this competitive announcement can receive follow-on awards providing access to up to $100 million to build a U.S.-based bioindustrial manufacturing facility.
"Each DBIMP award demonstrates how DoD is committed to harnessing the innovation and advanced capabilities coming from industry," said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. "Expanding domestic biomanufacturing capacity brings stability to supply chains and furthers our efforts to build a modernized defense industrial ecosystem."
The department announced its first award for DBIMP in July 2024. The remaining awards are expected next month.
Details on awarded projects include:
- Air Protein: $1.7 million for planning a commercial facility producing high-protein flour from captured carbon dioxide.
- Algenesis Corporation: $1.5 million for planning a facility establishing a domestic source for diisocyanates.
- Bluestem Biosciences: $2.16 million for planning an anaerobic fermentation facility producing organic acid precursors.
- C16 Biosciences: $1.45 million for planning a facility producing palm oil alternatives.
- Cellibre: $1.54 million for planning a bioproduction facility for thermal resistant polymer precursors.
- Danimer Scientific: $1.36 million developing plans for producing biobased polyols.
- Erg Bio: $1.5 million planning sustainable aviation fuels production facilities.
- Eastern Tennessee State University Research Corporation: $912,000 developing plans repurposing infrastructure into bioindustrial manufacturing facilities.
- FERMWORX: $1.95 million expanding existing facilities producing various chemical precursors.
- Mussel Polymers: $1.77 million planning commercial-scale biomimetic polymer production facilities.
- Onego: $2 million planning ovalbumin protein production facilities.
- Savor Foods: $1.5 million developing plans transforming nontraditional feedstocks into dietary fats.
Following competitive evaluations, more than 30 selectees entered negotiations with the Department on business and technical planning efforts across focus areas including fabrication, firepower, fitness, food, and fuel.
