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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

BioMADE Plans Boone, Iowa, Bioindustrial Manufacturing Operations

08/29/2025
BioMADE, a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute, plans to establish production operations in Boone, Iowa.

The $40 million project will include the construction of a new bioindustrial manufacturing scale-up facility, located at the Iowa State University’s BioCentury Research Farm, which will feature 5,000-liter and 10,000-liter fermenters and downstream processing equipment.

“BioMADE is thrilled to be establishing this facility in Iowa,” said Dr. Douglas Friedman, Chief Executive Officer at BioMADE. “Iowa’s longstanding leadership in bioindustrial manufacturing makes it an ideal site for scale-up capacity. We’re excited to work with our partners at Iowa State University to establish this site, which will secure domestic supply chains for critical consumer and defense products – while also creating new markets for American-grown crops, re-shoring manufacturing jobs, and expanding rural development.”

The project is being supported by $10 million in cost-share contributions from ISU and $10 million in funding from IEDA’s Strategic Infrastructure Program, approved by the IEDA board over two fiscal years.

“Iowa is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense and BioMADE to build the infrastructure needed to lead in the next generation of biomanufacturing,” noted Governor Kim Reynolds. “This facility will unleash new value from our agricultural resources, create high-quality jobs, and ensure Iowa remains at the forefront of bioscience innovation and global competitiveness.”

BioMADE’s focus is to enable domestic bioindustrial manufacturing at all scales, develop technologies to enhance U.S. bioindustrial competitiveness, de-risk investment in relevant infrastructure, and expand the biomanufacturing workforce to realize the economic promise of industrial biotechnology.

“At ISU Research Park, we believe that the future of agriculture lies in bold partnerships and relentless innovation. Collaborations like the one with BioMADE, IEDA, ISU Research Park and Iowa State exemplify how these entities can come together to accelerate breakthroughs that will shape the next generation of sustainable, resilient ag technologies,” added Rick Sanders, president, ISU Research Park. “We’re proud to be part of a movement that has the potential to secure additional value and products from crops produced right here in Iowa and in turn, strengthen the bioeconomy.”

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