The Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team (BBRT) has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) planning grant to develop a center at Iowa State University that will focus on bioplastics and biocomposites.

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB²) is a collaboration between the BBRT at Iowa State University and the Department of Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The BBRT and UMass Lowell are in a unique position to successfully develop and operate a bioplastics center. Iowa State is an established leader in the area of biobased products and UMass Lowell is a known leader in the field of polymer processing. By bringing together their expertise, the center will be able to successfully transfer their ideas, results and technology to the U.S. plastics industry.

About the I/UCRC Program

CB² will be an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Program (I/UCRC) center that will bring together industry partners and university researchers who have a common interest in biobased plastics and composites.  

The I/UCRC program helps build partnerships between industry, universities and policymakers. An I/UCRC center is primarily supported by industry partners and conducts industry-relevant research. NSF plays a supporting role and supplies the center with matching funds for the first five years with declining grant support thereafter.

Become an Industry Partner

Becoming an industry partner has many advantages including leveraging research and development efforts through the center's projects, receiving access to technologies developed by the center and having access to scientists and graduate students for future employment.

A graduated partnership fee based on the number of company employees will be used. A fee structure will be announced at a later date.

Partnership benefits:

• Leveraging of research funds
• Access to innovative early research results: Prepublication technical papers
• Influence on research directions: Industry driven R&D projects
• Industry networking
• Access to intellectual property developed during membership
• Access to world class facilities and researchers
• Access to high potential, newly graduated workforce

Planning Workshop

To facilitate the development of this center, we are welcoming possible partners to visit Iowa State for a planning workshop that will be funded by NSF. This two-day workshop will bring together researchers from Iowa State and UMass Lowell and industry partners to discuss potential research projects as well as finalize the center's organization and research thrust areas. The date of the workshop will be announced soon.