NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing biosecurity, biodefense, and biomanufacturing technologies (KS, MO)

这一区域创新引擎发展奖致力于建立一个由研究机构、中等和高等教育机构、非营利性组织、经济发展机构和营利性行业组成的强大网络，这些机构共同构成了以堪萨斯州东北部、中部和密苏里州西北部地区生物安全、生物防御和先进生物制造为中心的新兴经济发展重点。这个地理实体是该领域的主要参与者的大本营，包括堪萨斯州立大学、堪萨斯大学、国家生物和农业防御设施、堪萨斯城动物健康走廊、生物堪萨斯、BioNexus KC、NETWORK堪萨斯、众多公司和其他公司。许多拟议的参与者已经在各种互动中聚集在一起，这些互动将支持计划中的发动机开发。堪萨斯城动物健康走廊是建立私人、非营利性、教育和政府实体集群的既定模式，这些实体支持生物安全和生物防御领域的研究、教育、培训和商业化。堪萨斯州立大学和堪萨斯大学的研究人员在生物加工、生物制造、生物安全、生物防御和增值农产品开发方面具有显著优势。该引擎应对的受使用启发的挑战包括针对威胁动植物农业以及人畜共患病的疾病的diagnostics/prophylactics-therapeutics/vaccines；疾病缓解和对病媒和病媒传播疾病的监测；解决抗菌素耐药性的替代方案；改进增值农业和生物制造工艺；以及动物饲料。拟议的战略将创造一系列发现、商业化和制造的能力，以确保技术进步实现实际应用并促进经济发展。未来的NSF发动机将为行业合作伙伴简化发现到商业化的过程。该地区大量的人才和基础设施将吸引公司、企业家和风险投资家。通过加强现有项目和建立伙伴关系，发展奖将加快变革性产品进入市场的速度；通过应对复杂的挑战和促进生物安全和生物防务公司的经济增长利益创造有形的经济价值；通过大学与行业的合作伙伴关系提高适当的经济回报和建立生态系统的可持续性；促进创业活动的增长；以及吸引、教育和留住多样化、熟练和适应性强的人才，以满足地区劳动力需求。发展奖将使项目团队能够通过开始构建完整引擎所需的基础设施来为NSF引擎做准备。这包括致力于以使用为灵感的研究、经济发展、企业吸引力、成长中的小企业、劳动力发展以及将多样性、公平性、包容性和可获得性纳入项目的所有方面的团队。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on building a robust network of research institutions, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, non-profits, economic development agencies, and for-profit industries that together constitute an emerging focus of economic development centered around biosecurity, biodefense, and advanced biomanufacturing in the northeast and central Kansas and northwest Missouri region. This geographic entity is home to anchor players in this domain, including Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility, the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, BioKansas, BioNexus KC, NetWork Kansas, numerous companies, and others. Many of the proposed participants have already come together in a variety of interactions that will support the planned Engine development. The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor serves as an established model for building a cluster of private, non-profit, educational, and government entities that support research, education, training, and commercialization in the general area of biosecurity and biodefense. Kansas State University and University of Kansas researchers have significant strengths in bioprocessing, biomanufacturing, biosecurity, biodefense, and value-added agriculture product development. Use-inspired challenges addressed by the engine include diagnostics/prophylactics-therapeutics/vaccines for diseases that threaten animal and plant agriculture as well as zoonotic diseases; disease mitigation and surveillance of vectors and vector-borne disease; alternatives to address antimicrobial resistance; improvements to value-added agriculture and biomanufacturing processes; and animal feed. The proposed strategy will create a continuum of capacity for discovery, commercialization, and manufacturing to ensure that technologic advancements achieve practical application and promote economic development. A future NSF Engine would streamline the process of discovery to commercialization for industry partners. The critical mass of talent and infrastructure in the region will attract companies, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. By enhancing existing programs and building partnerships, the Development Award will increase the transition velocity of transformational products into the marketplace; create tangible economic value by addressing complex challenges and advancing the economic growth interests of biosecurity and biodefense companies; enhance appropriate economic return and build ecosystem sustainability through university-industry partnerships; advance entrepreneurial activity growth; and attract, educate and retain diverse, skilled, and adaptable talent to meet regional workforce needs. The Development Award will enable the project team to prepare for an NSF Engine by beginning to build the infrastructure needed for a full Engine. This includes teams dedicated to use-inspired research, economic development, corporate attraction, growing small businesses, workforce development, and inclusion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of the project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.