Chambana Sun

Springfield, IL—State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) issued a statement following the announcement that iFAB has awarded a $51 million EDA Tech Hubs grant to advance central Illinois as a leader in biomanufacturing.

“Super excited to learn that $51 million was dedicated to biomanufacturing in our state. This type of commitment is exactly in line with the U of I President Bob Easter’s forward-looking vision for what the Illinois Bioprocessing Research Lab (‘IBRL’) could mean to Illinois. His vision was an ‘easy sell’ when he brought it to me a decade ago to champion finding the money to build it in the legislature’s capital program process," said Sen. Rose.

He continued, "The IBRL is the University of Illinois’ bioprocessing research facility, which is a critical component of what iFAB has to offer. Moreover, this is exactly what I envisioned all those years ago when I put the Champaign and Decatur Chambers of Commerce and their Economic Development Corporations together in the same room to brainstorm what a connected I-72 Corridor could become."

Sen. Rose highlighted central Illinois' unique advantages: "Nowhere else in the world do we have the production and shipping capabilities of Decatur with ADM, Tate & Lyle, and the Midwest Inland Port’s 3 class 1 railroads, plus the brain power of the University of Illinois and the best farm ground anywhere in the world right in between! We have something right here in central Illinois that, truly, no one else, anywhere on the planet, can offer – and today’s $51 million grant proves it!"

He concluded by acknowledging those involved: "My hats off to all those who made this happen, and here’s to many more to come!”