Governor JB Pritzker Signs $300 Million Illinois Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing Act

URBANA, Ill. — Governor JB Pritzker signed Public Act 104 into law on Monday, establishing the $300 million Illinois Biomanufacturing and Synthetic Biology Initiative to cement Illinois as the global leader in precision microbial fermentation, bio-based industrial chemicals, agricultural biotechnology, and sustainable aviation feedstocks.

The legislation, signed at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), establishes performance-based capital grants, equipment sales-tax exemptions, and a $50 million proof-of-concept fermentation pilot facility in Champaign County.

Transforming Agricultural Feedstocks into High-Value Bio-Products Illinois produces over 2 billion bushels of corn and soybeans annually, providing the essential agricultural sugar feedstocks needed for industrial precision fermentation processes that replace petroleum-based plastics and synthetic chemicals.

"The future of biomanufacturing is rooted right here in the fertile soil and world-class research laboratories of Illinois," Governor Pritzker said in Urbana. "Synthetic biology and biomanufacturing will revolutionize everything from life-saving pharmaceuticals and sustainable jet fuel to bio-based packaging and climate-resilient crops. Public Act 104 pairs our agricultural abundance with our elite research institutions, creating thousands of high-wage jobs and establishing Illinois as the biomanufacturing capital of the world."

Strategic Hub Locations and Infrastructure Key components of the legislation include:

• UIUC Precision Fermentation Scale-Up Center: $50 million for pilot-scale 10,000-liter bioreactors allowing startups to scale lab discoveries into commercial production.
• Chicago Life Sciences Wet-Lab Accelerator: $100 million in matching capital for commercial incubator wet-labs in the Fulton Market and Lincoln Yards innovation districts.
• Biomanufacturing Tax Credit Program: $150 million in performance-based tax incentives for global biomanufacturers establishing commercial production plants in downstate agricultural communities.

Biotechnology executives, agricultural leaders, and university chancellors commended the visionary economic strategy, projecting that industrial biomanufacturing will attract over $10 billion in private venture capital to Illinois over the next decade.