U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Friday announced the formation of a new biopharmaceutical-based Manufacturing USA Institute at the University of Delaware.
The institute was announced Friday morning. Scheduled to be in attendance was the state’s entire congressional delegation as well as University President Dennis Assanis.
The institute, a collection of 150 companies, colleges, non-profits and government agencies, was organized by UD. Its headquarters will be in Newark.
. Pritzker announced an award of $70 million for the new, Newark-based National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), the eleventh institute in the Manufacturing USA network. This is the first institute with a focus area proposed by industry and the first funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The announcement was made at the University of Delaware, which will coordinate the institute in partnership with DOC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In addition to the federal funding, the new institute is supported by an initial private
In addition to the federal funding, the new institute is supported by an initial private investment of at least $129 million from a consortium of 150 companies, educational institutions, research centers, coordinating bodies, non-profits and manufacturing extension partnerships across the country.
The consortium is establishing a new non-profit organization called USA Bio LLC to administer the cooperative agreement.
This manufacturing innovation institute was awarded under the 2014 Revitalize American Manufacturing Innovation Act. It is the first Manufacturing USA “open topic” competition, in which industry was invited to propose institutes dedicated to any advanced manufacturing area not already addressed by another institute.
The institute, will conduct research on biopharmaceuticals – prescription drugs made with living cells.
The institute will focus on bringing the drugs to market faster and developing workforce training. The biopharmaceutical field has more jobs available than there are qualified workers.
Pharmaceutical companies have been struggling in finding breakthrough drugs, with earlier discoveries moving to lower-priced generics as patent protection is lost.
This is the second Manufacturing USA Institute announcement with UD involvement in a week.
It was announced earlier that the University of Delaware has been tapped to lead a part of a new Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment Manufacturing Institute led by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced the formation of Rapid last week.
Rapid’s role will be to develop breakthrough technologies and processes that will boost energy productivity and efficiency and decrease environmental impacts, especially related to chemical manufacturing, according to a UD release.
Rapid has already enlisted 130 partners from companies, academic institutions including the University of Delaware, national and government laboratories and non-governmental organizations across the U.S.
Rapid is headed by CEO Karen Fletcher, UD alumna and former chief engineer and vice president of engineering, facilities and real estate at DuPont. RAPID will leverage $70 million in federal funding from the Energy Department over five years and an additional $70 million in private cost-share commitments from partners.
The location has yet to be determined but will be on the UD campus, according to Andrea Boyle Tippett, director of External Relations in the Office of Communications and Marketing
The headquarters will include additional staff though that number has not been determined, Tippett said.
