The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a significant investment in biofoundries designed to advance synthetic biology and biotechnology across multiple research institutions. This initiative will establish facilities capable of integrating cutting-edge technologies like synthetic biology, machine learning, and laboratory automation. The goal is to accelerate innovations and develop sustainable biomanufacturing processes.

Among the newly funded projects is the NSF iBioFoundry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which will focus on protein and cellular engineering, leveraging AI and automation to optimize synthetic biology research. These biofoundries will also serve as hubs for collaboration, engaging researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to address global scientific and engineering challenges.

Other biofoundries include the NSF Ex-FAB BioFoundry, which will explore organisms in extreme environments to advance biotechnology, and the NSF CREATE initiative aimed at democratizing biotechnology tools, particularly for underserved academic institutions. These investments reflect NSF’s commitment to enhancing scientific research and fostering educational opportunities in biotechnology and AI fields.

For more details on this NSF initiative, you can read further at and Mirage News.