Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD — Pentagon senior leaders and Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly joined U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) leaders in cutting the ribbon on the Center’s newly renovated and expanded Biomanufacturing Pilot Facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground in a ceremony on June 12.

The 25,000-square-foot Biomanufacturing Pilot Facility fills a vital niche in the effort to free the nation from foreign suppliers and pioneer the creation of entirely new materials essential for national defense. Academic and other Department of Defense (DoD) research laboratories are synthesizing microbes that can produce chemicals and materials with extraordinary properties, but only at a gram-sized scale, said Michael Bailey, DEVCOM CBC director.

This facility increases production capability for these materials from the gram-size level to up to 1,000 kilograms so that industry can further scale production to the commercial level for real-world applications. DEVCOM scientists also optimize the microbes they receive to make them more suitable for scale-up.

Bailey hosted Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology Michael Holthe of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly. Each spoke about the newly renovated and expanded facility’s value to the DoD Chemical Biological Defense Program, national defense and the Harford County regional economy.

“It is together that we build an ecosystem, of which this facility is a part, that fills an important gap,” Bailey said. He predicted that the government investment in biotechnology at Aberdeen Proving Ground and the multiple partnerships required for success will positively impact Harford County and further resonate across Maryland. “Eventually, when this hub and the entire biomanufacturing ecosystem is up and running, the economic impact will be felt across the nation. These investments are being made today and will pay off tomorrow.”

Having begun production in 2020, DEVCOM CBC received a $50 million investment from the Army and the Tri-service Biotechnology for Resilient Supply Chains Program of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering to modernize and expand its capabilities. Improvements included the addition of liquids separation technologies in its new process development laboratory for downstream processing of biomanufactured chemicals and upgrades to the fermentation laboratory.

“Now we can make critical high-value chemicals that can be used in both military systems and make entirely new materials that will have both military and civilian industrial benefits, all while increasing the nation’s supply chain resiliency,” said Dr. Kelly Basi, DEVCOM CBC Biomanufacturing Branch chief.

“The expansion of this facility cements DEVCOM CBC’s role as a national leader in biomanufactured materials development. I am excited to see the Center work with its academic and industry partners to create new materials while creating jobs across the country,” said Dr. Peter Emanuel, Deputy Principal Director for the Office of Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Development.

“We are excited to deepen our partnerships with academic institutions and host interns, training the next generation of scientists in the process, including Harford County Community College, Cecil County Community College, University of Delaware, and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County,” Bailey said.