AMES, Iowa – An Iowa State University-led research initiative to bolster the economic vitality of rural communities is one of 12 projects selected for the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) awards, which were announced today. 

RuralSTAMINA – Ascending Rural communities through Sustainable, Transformative, Advanced Manufacturing INnovations and Alliances – is focused on creating new value-added products through the discovery and commercialization of innovations in biomass conversion and biomanufacturing. The NSF Engines award provides $15 million in funding over two years, and up to $160 million over 10 years for Engines that demonstrate progress toward their research milestones.  

“Innovation and collaboration are part of Iowa State’s DNA and this award is a testament to those strengths,” said David Cook, Iowa State University president. “The RuralSTAMINA initiative is another example of how we’re serving the state of Iowa and region by supporting rural communities.” 

The NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska will leverage biomass conversion and biomanufacturing to support agricultural producers and small and medium-sized manufacturers. To date biomass conversion has focused on low-cost, high-volume fuels. RuralSTAMINA will focus on innovations that lead to high-value specialty products such as coatings, pesticides, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics and animal vaccines.

The collaborative effort already includes more than 70 public and private partners across the two states. In addition to Iowa State, core partner institutions include the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southeast Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, BioConnect Iowa, the Iowa Biotechnology Association and Invest Nebraska.

“Through this collaborative effort, NSF, our states, and our businesses and entrepreneurs are investing in developing value-added products from agriculture production and putting more money in producer’s pockets to stimulate economic growth in rural communities,” said Peter Dorhout, Iowa State Vice President for Research and Principal Investigator for the project. 

The NSF Engines program aims to accelerate the development of critical technologies, grow regional economies and secure America’s position of at the forefront of science and technology.

“NSF Engines investments in critical technologies and future industries will transform America’s innovation infrastructure for decades to come," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “The NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine will transform agricultural resources into new products, create jobs, strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity, and boost economic stability in rural communities across the Midwest.”

Through cross-sector collaboration, RuralSTAMINA will support startups, seed sustainable rural businesses and jobs and create learning programs that bolster and sustain rural economies. 

“We are proud to be part of this alliance to grow rural Iowa,” said Barb Wilson, University of Iowa president. “Through this collaborative effort, we’ll help strengthen communities across our state.” 

"This is a testament to the life-changing research our university contributes to Nebraska,” said Katherine Ankerson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln interim chancellor. “It reflects our land-grant mission to partner with institutions, entrepreneurs and innovators to strengthen our state. That includes Northeast and Southeast Community Colleges, which will be key in helping develop the bioeconomy workforce across our region.”

Launched by NSF Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, the NSF Engines program is building and scaling regional innovation ecosystems nationwide. Each NSF Engine is powered by a broad coalition of private sector, regional and scientific leaders and organizations to accelerate breakthrough emerging technology R&D that drives growth and ultimately bolsters U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.

The selection process started with more than 300 letters of intent spanning every U.S. state and territory. NSF selected 71 projects for consideration for the Engines’ second cohort, which was eventually narrowed down to 15 finalists.