Innovate Illinois Advances iFAB Hub’s Federal Funding Proposal

Innovate Illinois has put its muscle behind advancing the University of Illinois-based iFAB: Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub project as one of two Illinois proposals seeking federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) Tech Hub funding.

iFAB: Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub aims to grow Illinois bioprocessing into a best-in-the-world hub for fermentation manufacturing. It leverages the Illinois AgTech Corridor, which stretches from Champaign to Decatur. The University of Illinos Research Park ranks among the iFab consortium’s wide range of partners, which includes industry, higher education, workforce development agencies, agribusiness, and producers.

iFab leverages one of the most comprehensive bioprocessing scale-up facilities in the nation, the Integrated Bioprocessing Resource Lab (IBRL), based on the University of Illinois campus. It has the capacity to work with food ingredients, high-value industrial molecules, cosmetics, and more, providing access to infrastructure and equipment that otherwise wouldn’t be available.

Innovate Illinois is a public-private partnership designed to secure more federal funding for the state of Illinois. It is led by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and chaired by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones.

A report provided by KBV Research determined that the global precision fermentation market is expected to reach $11.8 billion by 2028.

“Illinois is on the cutting edge of bioprocessing and quantum computing. Our continued leadership in these spaces will help address global challenges and drive economic growth.” – Governor JB Pritzker

To learn more, visit the iFab website.