(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Board has approved a ten million dollar grant for a partnership between Iowa State University’s Research Park and an institute called BioMADE. The institute’s chief technology officer Kevin Moore says they will build fermentation facility.

Moore says bioplastics used in packaging are also made through fermentation.

He says it will be one of eight of these public-private entities mainly supported by the Department of Defense that cover different ranges of technologies. He says it will help early stage companies ramp up.

He says it helps move these companies ahead at a much faster pace.

BioMade is contributing 20 million to the project and Iowa State will add another ten million dollars of in kind support. The facility will be built at I-S-U’s BioCentury Research Farm in Boone, with operations starting in 2028.