MANCHESTER — The Department of Defense has awarded $80 million over five years to establish a bio research and manufacturing institute in Manchester that will be led by a coalition that includes DEKA Research & Development Corporation, the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
The institute will be tasked with developing and bio-manufacturing tissues and organs that can be transplanted into patients, particularly injured American service members.
The announcement was made jointly in a news release by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, who is soon taking over Ayotte’s Senate seat.
The release said the award will bring good jobs to Manchester, complementing the region’s emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education.
In July, Shaheen, Ayotte and Hassan sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to make the case for bringing the institute to Manchester.
Their letter reads in part, “Locating this program in Manchester is a logical next-step for a city with a long history of innovation, strong public-private partnerships and a robust pipeline of students educated in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.”
The letter continues. “Just as they are populating the start-ups and companies inside Manchester, these young graduates could form the core of the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute and help lead its exciting and groundbreaking work. We strongly support this application for hosting ATB-MII and urge your serious consideration of its proposal.”