HOLLAND, Mich. – A new bioresearch center to be based in Holland will play a leading role in Michigan’s growth and development in bioeconomic industries, officials in Holland announced today.

Representatives from Pfizer Inc., Michigan State University, and Lakeshore Advantage announced they have reached an agreement in principle for the new bioeconomy research and development center, which will be based in an advanced-research facility donated by Pfizer.

The agreement calls for Pfizer to donate a pilot plant and research building in Holland to MSU, in which MSU will develop a unique bioeconomy research and commercialization center. Ultimate acceptance of the donation will require approval by the MSU Board of Trustees, following the development of a satisfactory operational funding plan.

When fully operational, the MSU facility is expected to employ 100 people – most of whom will come from scientific and technical backgrounds – and will serve as a hub for the growth of bioeconomic activity in the area.

Bioeconomic activity takes place when companies produce goods, services or energy from raw materials derived from renewable plant-based sources. A bioeconomy for Michigan will help reinvigorate the state's economic base by connecting strengths in agriculture, forestry and natural resources with traditional strengths in the manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Previously used for drug development, the three-story, 138,000-square-foot building includes modern laboratories for up to 100 researchers, a 125-seat auditorium, a library, atrium, offices and a pilot plant. According to Pfizer, the facility has a replacement value of $50 million.

The pilot plant has a total chemical reactor capacity of 37,000 liters and centralized automatic controls. The pilot plant will permit initial production of biobased products in volumes sufficient for commercial prototyping and testing by Michigan companies in furniture, automotive plastics and other industries.

Research work at the facility is expected to focus on areas such as:

• The economical production of useful biomass.
• Biofuel refining.
• Use of biomass feedstock for production of specialty, foundational and commodity chemicals.
• Bioeconomy standards compliance and quality assurance.
• Social, environmental and workplace safety issues in the emerging bioeconomy.

Antoon Brusselmans, vice president, U.S. and Canada for Pfizer Global Manufacturing, said the company is pleased to make the facility available to MSU.

“As a business with a major presence in Michigan, Pfizer shares a heartfelt desire to help drive education and innovation in the state,” Brusselmans said. “We’re confident that MSU, Lakeshore Advantage and this research facility will together usher in a bright future for Michigan and beyond.”

The facility offers numerous attractive features for the creation of improved fuels and new chemicals and materials from biomass. Collectively, the technologies to be studied at the site should enhance entire biobased value chains, touching farms and forests, biomass refineries, biomaterials fabrication, “green” manufacturing, and ultimate product recycling.

Plans for the facility also include a bioeconomy business accelerator that will lead to the establishment of new companies and job growth. Michigan private sector companies will have access to advanced equipment and research findings that will allow them to develop at an accelerated pace. In addition, the building sits next to Pfizer’s former Holland manufacturing plant  for which the company is seeking a commercial buyer, including marketing it to biofuel production companies – which could create possible synergy with MSU.

“This is the right project for our community and for the state of Michigan,” said Randy Thelen, president of Lakeshore Advantage, the economic development organization for the Holland/Zeeland area. “Knowledge-based enterprises like this research center drive 21^st century economic growth, and we are very proud of the work our community has done to make this happen.”

“Corporate partners and world-class researchers, including many faculty members on the MSU East Lansing campus, will find that collaboration with the Holland facility permits convenient scale-up of their new cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, bioplastics, and specialty chemical technologies,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “In addition, MSU intends to host researchers from nearby institutions, such as Hope College, and from private sector start-up companies at the site.”

Through many complementary, mutually reinforcing initiatives cross the entire state, MSU is moving decisively to advance Michigan’s post-petroleum economy. Pfizer’s generosity in donating this outstanding process development facility is a key component of this economically essential endeavor. Beyond facilitating public/private research and development cooperation, this donation will also boost our competitiveness as we seek major federal funding for biomass-related grants,” Simon added.

Completion of the donation agreement is expected during the next three months and is contingent upon finalization of an operational funding arrangement drawing on community donations, state appropriations, private sector contracts, and university resources. The ultimate naming of the bioeconomy research institute will be determined in light of fundraising outcomes.

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 16 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.