SDSU Breaks Ground on a Premier Partnership
SDSU broke ground on the POET Bioproducts Center: a facility that will add value, sustainability, and innovation to bioproducts through one premier partnership.
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It’s often said that accomplishing great things takes a village.
In the case of the POET Bioproducts Center, innovating the field of bioproduction will take the entire yellow and blue community, along with the help of the state, POET themselves, and a fellow South Dakota university.
South Dakota State University has teamed up with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and POET, a global leader in the production of bioproducts, to break ground on a premier institute that will serve as a center for the development of low-value agricultural and forestry materials into high-value bioproducts. This collaboration will help to elevate the university’s sustainability efforts while playing to its strengths in transforming the field of agriculture.
“We are convinced that this specialized laboratory will provide our region with enormous capacities to drive economic growth through applied biotechnology,” said SDSU President Barry Dunn at the groundbreaking ceremony on November 10. “The idea of this institute started with a challenge from the private sector and grew into a collaborative partnership between many organizations.”
The 45,000-square-foot building will be constructed in the Research Park at SDSU through funding made possible from a variety of sources: $20 million in legislative dollars, $5 million from POET, and $2 million from South Dakota Corn. The South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council has also committed to a total of $2.5 million, with $500,000 expended annually over the next five years to alleviate operational costs.
The facility aims to collaborate in the next generation of bioproducts, paving the way for game-changing production and processing strategies. The project allows both universities to join in an impactful initiative while working together to build on their respective expertise: SDSU excels in feedstock and preprocessing, as well as downstream animal feed testing trials, while the School of Mines brings extensive knowledge of bioprocessing. POET will help both parties to upscale commercial development, growing the output, impact, and sustainability of the facility’s bioproducts.
“POET has longstanding partnerships with South Dakota’s leading engineering universities in supporting our state and driving one of its most essential industries: agriculture,” said Jeff Broin, POET founder and CEO.
“Now more than ever, we must continue to develop cutting-edge innovations in low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts in order to protect our planet.” - Jeff Broin
Once up and running, the facility is expected to produce more than $6 million annually from research expenditures, emphasizing SDSU’s commitment to value-added commodities. The institute will elevate production on a grand scale while allowing for a new era of agricultural applications toward eco solutions.
By integrating both higher education leadership and private sector scientists, the POET Bioproducts Center will create economic value, bolster educational and research opportunities, and introduce a bold partnership that will define SDSU’s role as a key player in innovation amongst universities, industry leaders, and the future of the yellow and blue community.
