Governor Janet Mills applauded an announcement by the Biden-Harris Administration that Maine's Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub will receive an additional $22 million to position Maine as a global leader in forest-based biomaterial production and manufacturing.

Maine's Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub was launched in 2023 to accelerate development of new materials and products derived from wood that can bolster critical industries like housing, eliminate the use of toxic materials, and replace imported plastics and other materials derived from fossil fuels.

The consortium - led by the Maine Technology Institute and the Mills Administration - was one of just 31 nationwide to receive a federal "Tech Hub" designation under President Biden's CHIPS and Sciences Act. This award builds on approximately $1 million in federal grants Maine has previously secured for the Tech Hub.

The $22 million award will support two projects focused on driving commercialization and innovation in Maine's forest bioproducts sector that will bring cutting edge products to the global market.

"Maine companies are leading the way in manufacturing innovative and environmentally friendly products that are changing how the world builds homes and businesses, and packages products, and more -- and in doing so, they're writing the next great chapter of Maine's storied forest products industry," said Governor Janet Mills. "This significant federal investment will help Maine cement its growing reputation as a global leader in the advanced manufacturing of forest bioproducts. I thank the Maine Congressional Delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration for their extraordinary support."

"This investment is a testament to Maine's leadership in sustainable forest bioproduct innovation," said Brian Whitney, President of the Maine Technology Institute. "I thank the Biden-Harris Administration and Maine's Congressional Delegation for making this support possible."

"We are honored to partner with the State of Maine on Maine's Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias, and vice chancellor for research and innovation for the University of Maine System. "This award underscores the University of Maine's leadership in forest bioproducts research, innovation, and workforce development and will take advantage of the university's broad and deep expertise and infrastructure to enhance our region's capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy innovative bioproducts."

Maine is one of just six Tech Hubs selected to receive an award under new funding for the Tech Hubs Program included in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The award announced today will support initiatives that will:

• Bridge forest bioproducts technological innovations with the commercialization resources and partnerships necessary to successfully bring that intellectual property to market at a globally competitive scale and serving as the backbone organization for the consortium, coordinating governance, strategy, evaluation, and community engagement; and
• Strengthen a pipeline of innovations, de-risking these innovations with technical assistance, and leveraging new commercialization, advanced manufacturing, and workforce resources of the Tech Hub to accelerate the most promising innovations.

Maine's Tech Hub is made up of more than 70 partners -- including the University of Maine, the Roux Institute, the Maine Community College System, Sappi, IDEXX, Thornton Tomasetti, FOR/Maine, the Maine Forest Products Council, the AFL-CIO, the Manufacturers Association of Maine, and the Maine Venture Fund -- and backed by investors with more than $4.25 billion in assets. More about Maine's Tech Hub can be found at www.mainetechhub.us.

Information about the Federal Tech Hubs Program can be found at TechHubs.gov.