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The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded the ETSU Research Corporation over $900,000 as part of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium, an investment that will help create new opportunities to foster regional innovation in sustainable industrial manufacturing in the region.

“Our goal is to enhance the prosperity of our region by connecting local innovation with opportunities in global emerging markets,” said Eric Jorgenson, vice president of evelopment for the ETSU Research Corporation. “This project is another key part of the foundation of a robust biomanufacturing ecosystem in Northeast Tennessee. This will benefit the local economy, advance our sustainable manufacturing goals and bolster the resilience of our nation’s domestic supply chains.”

This award, part of the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program, aims to foster biomanufacturing capability and capacity across the nation.

Through this initiative, the Department of Defense has awarded over $60 million in grants to bolster domestic bioindustrial manufacturing. ETSU’s Research Corporation joins a select group of 34 institutions and organizations chosen for their potential to advance the bioindustrial manufacturing sector and address critical supply chain needs.

The project envisions a facility capable of turning waste streams into valuable products through fermentation, paving the way for scalable biomanufacturing in Tennessee. Under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement, the ETSU Research Corporation and project partners will develop technical and business plans for constructing and operating a U.S.-based bioindustrial scale-up facility.

“We have some truly world-class teams brought to bear on this project alongside us,” Jorgenson added. “This is meaningful work for us, and we are dedicated to developing new ways for Tennessee to participate in emerging high-tech manufacturing sectors.”

Projects successfully completing this initial phase may qualify for further Department of Defense funding of up to $100 million, strengthening the national biomanufacturing infrastructure.

Since launching in 2021, the ETSU Research Corporation has been a hub for regional and national partnerships that leverage advanced technology and research.

ETSU launched a $3.4 million workforce development project last year through BioMADE, a national institute with a mission of helping secure America’s future through bioindustrial manufacturing innovation. The ETSU Research Corporation is playing a key role in this project.