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

该区域创新引擎发展奖的重点是建立一个强大的研究机构，中学和中学后教育机构，非营利组织，经济发展机构和营利性行业的网络，共同构成了以生物安全，生物防御为中心的经济发展的新兴焦点，以及堪萨斯东北部和中部以及密苏里州西北部地区的先进生物制造。该地理实体是该领域锚参与者的所在地，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、Bio堪萨斯、BioNexus KC、NetWork堪萨斯、众多公司等。许多提议的参与者已经聚集在一起，进行各种互动，以支持计划中的引擎开发。堪萨斯城动物健康走廊是建立一个私营、非营利、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一般领域的研究、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。该引擎所解决的挑战包括威胁动植物农业的疾病以及人畜共患病的诊断/药物治疗/疫苗;疾病缓解和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;增值农业和生物制造工艺的改进;以及动物饲料。拟议的战略将建立一个发现、商业化和制造能力的连续体，以确保技术进步实现实际应用并促进经济发展。未来的NSF引擎将为行业合作伙伴简化发现到商业化的过程。该地区的人才和基础设施的临界质量将吸引公司，企业家和风险投资家。通过加强现有的方案和建立伙伴关系，发展奖将提高转型产品进入市场的过渡速度;通过应对复杂的挑战和促进生物安全和生物防御公司的经济增长利益来创造切实的经济价值;通过大学-行业伙伴关系提高适当的经济回报并建立生态系统的可持续性;促进创业活动的增长;吸引、教育和留住多样化、技术熟练和适应性强的人才，以满足区域劳动力需求。开发奖将使项目团队能够通过开始构建完整发动机所需的基础设施来为NSF发动机做准备。这包括致力于使用启发式研究，经济发展，企业吸引力，成长型小企业，劳动力发展，以及在项目的各个方面纳入多样性，公平，包容性和可访问性的团队。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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.