DoD Releases 12 Awards for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program

The Department of Defense today 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.

The awards are some of more than 30 expected to be conferred as part of the White House's 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, the 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 that detail construction of domestic bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), a contract vehicle awarded and overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. Successful projects that were selected under the competitive announcement can receive follow-on awards that would provide 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 the first award for the DBIMP in July 2024. The remaining awards are expected to be announced in the coming month. For more information on the awardees and the services they will provide, click here.

Details of the current batch of awarded projects are as follows:

• Air Protein, based in San Leandro, California, $1.7 million to plan a commercial facility that will produce a high-protein neutral-flavored flour from carbon dioxide captured from air. This facility would establish a domestic source for nutrient-dense flour that is less vulnerable to supply chain instabilities than agriculturally derived flour. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Algenesis Corporation, based in San Diego, $1.5 million to plan a facility that would establish a domestic source for diisocyanates, which are critical precursors for polyurethanes. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Bluestem Biosciences, based in Omaha, Nebraska, $2.16 million to plan an anaerobic fermentation facility for producing an organic acid as a key precursor for the fabrication of defense-related bioplastics/polymers and adhesives. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• C16 Biosciences, based in New York City, $1.45 million to plan a facility that would establish domestic production of a palm oil alternative that is shelf-stable and has a neutral flavor. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Cellibre, based in San Diego, $1.54 million to plan a domestic bioproduction facility for precursors to a thermal resistant polymer and thermosetting resins. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Danimer Scientific, based in Bainbridge, Georgia, $1.36 million to develop plans for a facility to produce biobased polyols that can be converted into high-performance coatings for ships, marine vessels, and steel piping. These biobased coating have superior properties to petroleum-based ones. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Erg Bio, based in Dublin, California, $1.5 million to plan a facility for producing sustainable aviation fuels, energetic precursors, and propellant binders using a proprietary technology capable of handling complex mixtures of biomass feedstocks. The company is considering sites in California, Oregon, and Louisiana.
• Eastern Tennessee State University Research Corporation, based in Johnson City, Tennessee, $912,000 to develop plans for repurposing existing infrastructure into a scale-up bioindustrial manufacturing facility. The facility would be capable of waste stream valorization and fermentation. Production is expected to occur in Tennessee.
• FERMWORX, based in Columbus, Georgia, $1.95 million to plan an expansion of its existing facility to enable production of an isoprene precursor, long chain alcohols, fatty acid methyl esters, and alkyl esters. Production will occur at the company's Columbus-based facility.
• Mussel Polymers, based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, $1.77 million to plan a commercial-scale facility for a biomimetic polymer, poly(catechol-styrene), as a component of coatings and adhesives with enhanced properties to meet defense needs. The facility location is yet to be determined.
• Onego, based in San Diego, $2 million to plan a facility to produce ovalbumin, a protein that is found in eggs, that may be used as a high-quality protein source in food supplies. The company is considering facility sites in the Midwest.
• Savor Foods, based in San Jose, California, was awarded $1.5 million to develop plans for a facility that will transform nontraditional feedstocks into dietary fats with a high caloric density and shelf stability. These properties position the fats as essential ingredients in food supplies for civilians and service members in austere environments. The facility location is yet to be determined.

About the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program

Following a competitive evaluation of proposed solutions, the Department entered negotiations with more than 30 selectees for business and technical planning efforts across focus areas for defense materials: fabrication, firepower, fitness, food, and fuel. Upon completion of planning efforts, businesses are eligible to enter negotiations to proceed to the next phase of the DBIMP under the DIBC, wherein the DoD will support building bioproduction infrastructure that increases the domestic supply of critical materials.