UC Santa Barbara, UCLA’s BioPACIFIC MIP earns renewed NSF support to accelerate AI-driven biobased materials innovation
The U.S. National Science Foundation has renewed funding for BioPACIFIC MIP — Biomaterials, Polymers and Advanced Constructs from Integrated Chemistry Materials Innovation Platform — a collaboration between UC Santa Barbara and UCLA that provides a unique scientific ecosystem for the United States. This $19.8 million renewal empowers BioPACIFIC MIP to continue advancing the frontier of biobased materials, uniting synthetic biology, chemistry, automation and artificial intelligence to reshape how materials are discovered, designed and deployed.
Originally launched in 2020 as one of just four MIPs nationwide, BioPACIFIC MIP is entering its second and final five-year phase. The renewed funding reinforces its national role as a user facility and central hub for accelerating materials innovation, expanding its impact on research, workforce training, and the development of real-world solutions to pressing challenges.
“Renewing BioPACIFIC MIP is essential to keeping California and the U.S. at the forefront of sustainable materials innovation,” said Craig Hawker, co-principal investigator (co-PI) and director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCSB. “This program turns scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions that benefit the U.S. economy while training the next generation workforce.”