iFAB Tech Hub
*2023 Tech Hubs Designee
Lead Agency: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
State Served: Illinois
Geography: Champaign-Urbana and Decatur MSAs (Champaign, Piatt, and Macon counties)
Core Technology Area: precision fermentation and biomanufacturing
Contact: Beth Conerty (bconerty@illinois.edu)
The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB Tech Hub), led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, seeks to scale precision fermentation to convert underutilized corn feedstocks into high-value, customized alternative proteins, food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and more. By leveraging its regional assets in corn and soy feedstocks, food processing infrastructure, and research leadership, this Tech Hub will provide a domestic biomanufacturing testbed through the development and deployment of multi-use pilot and demonstration capacity and equipment for biomanufacturing innovators while also training a skilled workforce.
Designee Narrative (PDF)