The Department of Defense (DoD) has finalized the first phase of its Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP), announcing nine additional awards to bioindustrial firms. This brings the total to 34 awards, amounting to over $60 million.
The recent awardees are Amyris from Emeryville, California; Cauldron Molecules operating in Australia and the United States; Checkerspot in Alameda, California; DSM Nutritional Products located in Plainsboro, New Jersey; EVERY Company from Daly City, California; The Fynder Group based in Chicago; Liberation Labs in New York City; Perfect Day out of Berkeley, California; and Solugen situated in Houston.
This initiative is part of the White House's Executive Order 14081 aimed at advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing for a sustainable and secure American bioeconomy. "The next industrial revolution will be a biomanufacturing revolution. DoD is keenly aware of that reality," stated Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. She emphasized DBIMP's role in transitioning U.S. bioindustrial manufacturing from laboratory settings to large-scale production facilities.
Under this program, companies will receive funding to develop business and technical plans for domestic bioindustrial manufacturing facilities through the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). These proposals could later qualify for further "build" awards with access to up to $100 million for constructing U.S.-based facilities.
"The introduction of new investment and funding strategies aligned to the National Defense Industrial Strategy offers the DoD rapid access to commercial solutions for defense requirements," commented 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. She noted that DIBC OTA provides innovative pathways ensuring continued U.S. competitiveness.
Amyris was awarded $1.93 million for retrofitting an existing facility to produce terpenes domestically. Cauldron Molecules received $1.76 million for planning a hyper-fermentation facility considering sites in the U.S., while Checkerspot secured $3.19 million for developing PFAS-free lubricants production plans.
DSM Nutritional Products obtained $2.07 million towards expanding omega-3 fatty acid production domestically as EVERY Company was granted $2 million for protein product facilities planning.
Other recipients include The Fynder Group with $1.38 million aimed at fungi-based protein production planning; Liberation Labs with $1.4 million dedicated towards scaling operations at its Indiana facility; Perfect Day receiving $1.24 million focused on whey protein fermentation plans; and Solugen obtaining $2 million directed towards multi-use modular facility planning either in Houston or Marshall, Minnesota.
These agreements follow a competitive evaluation process involving more than 30 selectees working on defense material focus areas like fabrication, firepower, fitness, food, and fuel under DBIMP's scope.
