DOD releases five awards for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program

The Department of Defense (DOD) announced an additional five awards totaling $9 million for the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP) to expand the domestic supply of ingredients and materials for U.S. supply chains by building bioproduction infrastructure.

The awardees include ARCTOS Technology Solutions in Beavercreek, Ohio; CleanJoule in Salt Lake City; Lygos in Berkeley, California; Synonym in New York City; and Visolis in Hayward, 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.

"These awards represent exciting steps toward fulfilling President Biden's vision of a robust American bioeconomy and vibrant industrial base," says Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, whose office leads the Pentagon's research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation efforts. "The bioindustrial manufacturing industry is primed and ready for investments that will ultimately boost national and economic security as well as strengthen our position at the forefront of the global bioeconomy."

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.

"These awards further demonstrate action against the long-term strategic goals in the National Defense Industrial Strategy," says Dr. William LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. "Biomanufacturing is a great example of how the Department is using the DIBC OTA to enable faster execution of high priority efforts."

The Department announced the first award for the DBIMP in July 2024. The remaining awards are expected to be announced throughout the coming months.

The awards include:
ARCTOS Technology Solutions, based in Beavercreek, Ohio, was awarded $1.49 million to plan a facility for producing protein-based products useful for manufacturing next-generation fibers, films, filters, and adhesives. The protein-based textiles feature unique properties such as self-healing, thermal responsiveness, and increased elasticity and strength. The facility location is yet to be determined.

CleanJoule, based in Salt Lake City, was awarded $1.49 million to plan an industrial-scale facility for producing additives for high-performance aviation fuels. This facility is expected to establish domestic production of these critical materials to reduce dependence on foreign production. The facility location is yet to be determined.

Lygos, Inc., based in Berkeley, California, was awarded $1.79 million to plan a multiproduct biorefinery for producing critical chemicals useful for coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. The company is considering sites in the Midwest for collocating commercial-scale chemical manufacturing with fermentation operations.

Synonym, based in New York City, was awarded $1.89 million to plan to rehabilitate an underutilized precision fermentation facility for producing lubricants and solvents required for high-performance aircraft. Facility locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee are being considered.

Visolis, based in Hayward, California, was awarded $2.25 million to plan a facility for domestically producing a platform chemical that can be converted into rocket propellants, explosives binders, and sustainable aviation fuel. The facility location is yet to be determined.