The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is awarding a $750,000 grant to establish the Forward BIO Initiative, a collaborative effort to make Wisconsin a recognized center of excellence for biomanufacturing, the organization announced today.

According to a release, the initiative will offer resources to translate innovations into commercial products in biomanufacturing and be comprised of the Forward BIO Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Forward BIOLABS at University Research Park and BioForward Wisconsin.

“Forward BIO Initiative’s scope will be quite broad, and that is part of what makes our approach unique,” BioForward CEO Lisa Johnson said in a statement. “We want projects that address significant industry needs and have a path to broad dissemination.”

UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Engineering, School of Medicine and Public Health and the Grainger Institute for Engineering will provide support, including funds and space, for the initiative.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation also provided $200,000 of seed funding for Forward BIOLABS.