Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub
Lead Agency: BioNexus KC
States Served: Missouri, Kansas
Applicant-Defined Region: Columbia and Jefferson City MSAs; Marshall, Warrensburg, and Sedalia μSAs (Missouri); Kansas City MSA (Kansas & Missouri); Lawrence, Manhattan, and Topeka MSAs; Ottawa, McPherson, and Atchison μSAs (Kansas); St. Joseph MSA (Kansas & Missouri)
Core Technology Area: vaccine-related biologics manufacturing
Contact: Melissa Roberts-Chapman (mrchapman@bionexuskc.org)
Media Contact: Shaylee Yount (shaylee@bionexuskc.org)
Organizational Link: https://bionexuskc.org/kc-biohub/
Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (KC BioHub), led by BioNexus KC, aims to position eastern Kansas and western Missouri as a global leader in biologics and biomanufacturing, increasing domestic production of life-saving vaccines and other preventative technologies. With the largest concentration of animal health and nutrition companies in the world, this Tech Hub will leverage the region’s biotechnology assets and existing vaccine manufacturing facilities, research institutions, and startup ecosystem to strengthen innovation in animal and human vaccine development and manufacturing. The Tech Hub aims to increase overall domestic vaccine production and enable the United States to capture a greater market share of human vaccine development.
The KC BioHub Tech Hub seeks to build the world’s most equitable biologics and vaccine development and manufacturing innovation ecosystem by leveraging the Kansas City region’s strength in animal and human vaccine development, as well as manufacturing and expertise in biosecurity and biodefense.
This consortium’s proposal includes plans to:
- Develop and equip wet lab spaces for scaling biologics and vaccine companies;
- Expand capital pools by educating investors in biotech growth opportunities and establishing a debt financing fund for high-potential entrepreneurs;
- Enhance researchers’ engagement with industry partners by improving relevant training, policies, and resources at the region’s leading research universities;
- Expand workforce opportunities by increasing life sciences career awareness for K-12 students, developing new apprenticeship, certificate, and degree programs, and coordinating wraparound services;
- Outfit a new “bench to clinic” facility where companies can manufacture small-scale batches of medicines for use in pre-clinical trials, a critical stage in the lifecycle of biotherapeutics companies;
- Promote wealth equity for children in a systemically disinvested area of the region by establishing a Community Trust that will endow them with a portion of the profits made from development in their neighborhood; and
- Leverage a governance structure to ensure stability of consortium members, establish a regional innovation office, promote follow-on investment in the consortium, and expand community awareness and private sector engagement.
To ensure that the impacts of the Tech Hub projects benefit the entire region, the consortium is committed to extending every project’s impact to disinvested communities through diverse representation on Project Steering Committees, applying capital strategies that serve startups and small businesses, and focusing workforce development projects on training and placement for good jobs that don’t require a college degree.
This summary is based on information submitted by the applicants.
Designee Narrative (PDF) (submitted by the designee in its Phase 2 application package)
Additional Designations Earned in Region
