Research and Innovation for National Security
We turn regional strengths in biomanufacturing and synthetic biology into research and innovation that serves national defense and security priorities.
The Research Corporation has moved from participation to execution in national manufacturing, biotechnology, and defense-aligned innovation. We convene ETSU's research strengths, the Valleybrook biomanufacturing campus, and federal partners to put emerging biotechnology to work on national priorities.
National engagement
ETSU hosted the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) on campus in August 2025. Our CEO gave formal testimony before the Commission in April 2024, and the Research Corporation was invited to the NSCEB State Symposium in Washington, DC in March 2026. This is the region moving from the sidelines to the national table on the bioeconomy and defense.
Partners and programs
The consortia and agencies behind the work include:
BioMADE
Institutional member of BioMADE, the Department of Defense-backed bioindustrial manufacturing innovation institute. We hold a $3.4 million lab buildout and workforce development grant.
Defense Industrial Base Consortium
Active participant in the DIBC, with a $912,000 DIBC-funded project advancing manufacturing scale-up, plus six-figure applied R&D performed under nondisclosure.
DARPA ERIS Marketplace
Our solution was deemed Awardable on the DARPA Expedited Research Implementation Series (ERIS) Marketplace, a digital platform that accelerates acquisition velocity and advances national security innovation.
CAMR
A public-private initiative to rebuild America's domestic antibiotic manufacturing so the country can make these essential medicines itself. The Research Corporation is a partner in the proposed $100 million application.
Why it matters
Emerging biotechnology is now a national security issue. Supply chains, manufacturing capacity, and a trained workforce sit at the center of it, and much of the country's capacity is concentrated in a few coastal hubs.
The Research Corporation is building durable, defense-ready capacity in Appalachia: a working biomanufacturing campus, a STEM and workforce pipeline, and the federal relationships to match.
Bring a national security challenge to the region
Partner with us on biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and defense-aligned research.