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We are pleased to announce that the grant application was submitted successfully for Phase 1! (Phase 2 will start in Mid to Late August.)

(Phase 2 will start in Mid to Late August.)

So, join our mailing list and keep yourself in the loop! CLICK HERE to JOIN.

Background

In order to create jobs and spur innovation, the US Department of Defense (DoD) is coordinating the creation of a set of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes in the United States.  The DoD Manufacturing Technology Program recently issued a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). (see links below). 

The DoD grant will lead to a Technology Investment Agreement (TIA), with the purpose of establishing a state-of-the-art, end-to-end, sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) in support of advanced tissue biofabrication manufacturing.  The opportunity is to obtain $80 million in federal funding, which would be matched 1 to 1 by those organizations who are involved (in funds or in kind), essentially having up to 50% of relevant project costs being covered by the federal funding.*

One Million Solutions in Health (OMSiH) is partnering with Northeastern University, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Harvard University & the Wyss Institute, University of California Berkeley, Southwest Research Institute, and others to submit to this program.  We are seeking others from across the United States to join us from industry, states, educational institutions, etc.

Some of the background is below, and we have prepared an overview of our submission and the partners we are seeking.  These documents can be downloaded below. They include an Overview PDF, a background article by one of the leaders in this area in the government (Bradley Ringeisen), and a One Million Solutions in Health backgrounder.

The consortium is actively seeking members from all sectors to join in this initiative to invest in the future of America’s leadership in Advanced Tissue Biofabrication for:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue and Organ Printing Applications
• Organ-on-a-Chip/Pre-Clinical Drug Safety & Research Testing Services
• Personalized Therapeutic Efficacy Assessment (PTEA), e.g., Oncology

 

What LEVELS of manufacturing will be supported by the Federal Funding for this Institute?

The Department of Defense has created a very well-defined outline of the Manufacturing Readiness Levels 1 to 10, which can be found in this Wikipedia post. This Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ATB-MII) is geared to help Levels 4 to 7. Fundamentally, this means we are looking at projects which are showing (see Wikipedia post for more details):

#4      Capability to produce the technology in a laboratory environment.

#5      Capability to produce prototype components in a production relevant environment.

#6      Capability to produce a prototype system or subsystem in a production relevant environment.

#7      Capability to produce systems, subsystems or components in a production representative environment.

… However, it is important to note that the “Cost sharing includes cash and third-party in-kind resources such as equipment, facilities, and manpower.” And, “Cost-sharing is not required to precisely align with this funding profile on a yearly basis.” So, there is great flexibility. If you are investing in the US in people, facilities or equipment in the area of Advanced Tissue Biofabrication – you will have essentially provided a match.

IMPORTANT reading for you to understand the Thrust Areas:  Download ATB-MII Appendix HERE.

WE NEED YOUR IDEAS AND FEEDBACK!

We held multiple sessions via webinars. So JOIN OUR MAILING LIST BELOW to register, and we will send you a copy of the webinars and presentation slides. Our goal is to have the widest representation possible, and to be able to incorporate everyone’s ideas into our proposal – to make it the strongest and most robust! So, please do your very best to watch the webinars and PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK! THANKING YOU, IN ADVANCE.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERTISE

• IMPORTANT reading for you to understand the Thrust Areas:  Download ATB-MII Appendix HERE
• Excellent source of ideas – published in February 2016 by National Cell Manufacturing Consortium: “Achieving Large-Scale, Cost-Effective, Reproducible Manufacturing of High-Quality Cells. A Technology Roadmap to 2025.” Download HERE.
• Technology Readiness Levels – Examples Applied to Health Care & Life Sciences: Download HERE.

 

If you would like to be involved, please click here to fill out the form.

If you have any questions or wish to refer this opportunity on to others, please do so, as our goal is to be as inclusive as possible to support this very important endeavor across America.

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You Have Two ‘Next Steps’:

1) Join our mailing list by signing up HERE

2) Send us a Statement of Interest letter by downloading the sample letter HERE

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You Have Three Documents to Download to Provide Feedback on the OMSiH Vision:

#1 – ATB-MII – Nationwide Consortium – OMSiH – Full Overview – DRAFT

#2 – ATB-MII Vision and Partner Expertise Required

#3 – ATB-MII and OMSiH Backgrounder

 

 References

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA): Overview Information – FOA_ATB-MII

Cell and organ printing turns 15: Diverse research to commercial transitions

This related Fact Sheet from the White House explains the most recent Manufacturing Innovation Institute and references: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/04/01/fact-sheet-obama-administration-announces-new-revolutionary-fibers-and

Newly awarded grant by DoD to Cambridge Consortium (which is similar to what we will need to submit): http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/710462/dod-announces-award-of-new-revolutionary-fibers-and-textiles-manufacturing-inno

Advanced Tissue Biofabrication (aka Regenerative Medicine or Cell & Organ Printing): repairing and replacing cells, tissues, and organs that will then lead to 3D-printed organs, is discussed in:On page vii in this White House report, which was issued on April 1st, 2016, it outlines 5 areas of priority for manufacturing. The section starting on page 17 outlines the Regenerative Medicine goals from the administration: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Blog/NSTC%20SAM%20technology%20areas%20snapshot.pdf

 

If you would like to be involved, please click here to fill out the form.

*The Government requires at least a 1:1 recipient cost share. The Government will consider any non-federal funds, to include state and local funding (not originating from Federal funds), as well as private-sector investment and donations from foundations provided in support of the ATB-MII as qualifying for the cost share ratio. Cost sharing includes cash and third-party in-kind resources such as equipment, facilities, and manpower.  Cost-sharing is not required to precisely align with this funding profile on a yearly basis.  Ultimately, the Government requires a schedule to meet the minimum of $80M of non-federal government funding cost share.