Onego Bio Awarded $2 Million by the Department of Defense for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program
SAN DIEGO, CA, Sep 13, 2024 – Onego Bio, the producer of Bioalbumen®, has been awarded $2 million in funding from the United States Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP). The funding from this program supports the advancement of biomanufacturing infrastructure across the United States, strengthening the domestic supply of key materials and ingredients.
These non-dilutive funds will support Onego Bio in establishing a U.S.-based bioindustrial manufacturing facility dedicated to producing Bioalbumen®, its egg-white protein ingredient. When complete, a full-scale Onego manufacturing unit will have a fermentation capacity of 2 million liters. With commercial operations in San Diego, California, and an R&D pilot in Helsinki, Finland, the company is currently producing Bioalbumen® via co-manufacturers.
The DBIMP funding program stems from the White House's 2022 Executive Order 14081, "Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy," which seeks to strengthen the United States' leadership in biomanufacturing by fostering innovation, improving supply chain resilience, and supporting economic growth. Companies selected under the competitive announcement will receive funding to produce business and technical plans that detail construction of U.S.-based bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities.
About Onego Bio
Onego Bio is a U.S.-Finnish food tech company on a mission to build a more resilient food system with sustainable protein production. Through leveraging precision fermentation, Onego Bio produces its egg protein ingredient Bioalbumen® — that perfectly matches the taste, nutrition, and functionality of protein derived from hen-laid eggs, with an environmental footprint that is over 90% smaller. Onego’s highly scalable technology supplements traditional supply chains, while catering to the industry’s growing demand for reliable and price-stable proteins. As a recognized leader in food innovation, Onego Bio was honored as the Winner of Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas awards and is a proud co-founder of the Precision Fermentation Alliance and Food Fermentation Europe. Learn more at www.onego.bio.
About the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program
Following a competitive evaluation of proposed solutions, the Department entered negotiations with more than 30 selectees for business and technical planning efforts across focus areas for defense materials: fabrication, firepower, fitness, food, and fuel. Upon completion of planning efforts, businesses are eligible to enter negotiations to proceed to the next phase of the DBIMP, wherein the DoD will support building bioproduction infrastructure that increases the domestic supply of critical materials.