The US National Science Foundation has renewed funding for BioPACIFIC MIP, a collaboration between UC Santa Barbara and UCLA, with a $19.8 million award. This funding will allow BioPACIFIC MIP to continue advancing biobased materials research, combining synthetic biology, chemistry, automation, and artificial intelligence. The program aims to accelerate materials innovation, providing access to advanced instrumentation, developing high-performance bio-based materials, and training an interdisciplinary workforce. A key focus of the second phase is the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence to enable autonomous experimentation, accelerating discovery and moving materials from the lab to real-world applications. The renewal of BioPACIFIC MIP solidifies its role as a national user facility and central hub for materials innovation, keeping the US at the forefront of sustainable materials innovation and training the next generation workforce. The program’s co-directors emphasized the importance of this funding in advancing biomaterials innovation and expanding the program’s impact.
The National Science Foundation provides $19.8 million in funding to the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Los Angeles to spearhead American advancements in biomaterials powered by artificial intelligence.
