News

Central IL “Tech Hub” awarded $51 million grant

New markets for corn and soybeans may soon be a reality through the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub.

Beth Conerty, regional innovation officer with iFAB, tells Brownfield the group was one of 12 in the country to receive a $51 million Economic Development Administration implementation grant.

“It’s using biological processes and biological feedstocks to create products that have been manufactured for a long time.”  She says, “Precision fermentation is a tool in that.”

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, who’s 13^th district includes the Hub’s identified counties of Champaign, Piatt, and Macon, says…

“One of the things I hear very loud and clear from my farmers in the district is that they want new markets.”  She says, “It’s going to do just that.  Create more opportunities in this space, in a bio economy.”

Conerty says it opens the way for even more private funding to help attract and support biomanufacturing companies.

“This is a great opportunity for such a big range of people and demographics here in central Illinois.”  She says, “Around $680 million gets unlocked essentially because of this commitment from the EDA.”

The grant funding will be split between the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab at the U of I, ADM, Primient, and Synonym to expand central Illinois research and production facilities.

The iFAB consortium is led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

AUDIO: Beth Conerty – regional innovation officer at iFAB

Photo: From left, Beth Conerty, Nicole Bateman, and Carly McCrory-McKay will help lead the iFAB Tech Hub.