Naturally occurring or engineered biological systems such as protein machines, genetic circuits, and microbial cell factories have promised to solve many grand challenges of the modern society. However, the traditional research and development process is slow, expensive, and inconsistent, representing a major obstacle in basic and applied biological research.
The NSF Illinois Biofoundry (iBioFoundry) is dedicated to developing new capabilities for biofoundries through an integrated and synergistic in-house research program and community-engaged user program and providing the broader research community with unrestricted access to the research resources, training, and education activities developed in the center.
The iBioFoundry team consists of leaders with expertise in synthetic biology, AI/ML, software engineering, robotics and automation, and education and outreach to develop an advanced biofoundry facility that represents a first-of-its-kind addition to the nation’s research infrastructure that will have a powerful impact on the U.S. research community.
