The U of A is now a member of BioMADE, a public-private partnership that promotes bioindustrial innovation and commercialization. Researchers at the U of A can apply for grants from BioMADE and participate in members-only webinars and networking events.

The non-profit organization, which has more than 200 members, also helps university researchers connect with both government leaders and industry members across a range of sectors.

BioMADE, launched in 2021, is a manufacturing innovation institute sponsored by the Department of Defense. Its grants have funded research at Iowa State University with Cargill and Genomatica to scale up lab-developed fermenters for industrial use, a collaboration between UC Berkeley and synthetic biology manufacturer Amyris to improve COVID-19 vaccine production and an effort by the University of Texas to develop the state's biomanufacturing workforce.

One benefit of U of A's membership in BioMADE will be support for the federally funded biomanufacturing workforce training project administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration's STEM Talent Challenge. BioMADE provides access to cutting-edge resources, such as virtual reality training, and fosters collaborations with industry leaders essential for fulfilling the grant's objectives.

Researchers at the U of A can receive BioMADE's monthly members-only newsletter to learn about upcoming grants, projects, events and webinars. To sign up for the newsletter, complete the form at www.biomade.org or email communications@biomade.org.

In addition to the newsletter, BioMADE members can access the member portal, which offers discussion boards, a member directory, funding opportunities and key resources like the Technical Roadmap and proposal submission platform.

Full-time employees of the U of A can request access to the member portal or ask questions about BioMADE by contacting Courtney Kocum (ckocum@uark.edu), the university's membership point of contact based at The Collaborative.