KC BioHub Awarded $38.1 Million to Bolster Kansas City Biomanufacturing

• September 10, 2026

Federal investment positions Kansas City as a national center for biologics manufacturing. 

The KC BioHub, a program of Kansas City-based BioNexus KC, has been awarded $38.1 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program, alongside partners MRIGlobal and Kansas Manufacturing Solutions. The four-year award will fund five projects spanning biomanufacturing innovation and workforce development, and it opens the door to as much as $150 million in future federal rounds.

Four of the five have been detailed publicly on the funded projects page: 

• SCALE Center (Systems for Commercial Advancement of Large-molecule Engineering), led by MRIGlobal, will operate as a regional technology maturation center, moving new biologics manufacturing methods out of the lab and speeding their path to FDA approval.
• EPIC (Efficiency in Pharmaceutical Innovation Center), led by KC BioHub, will connect the region’s bioscience and bioservices companies into one full-service hub for domestic drug development, offering an integrated U.S. alternative to offshore providers.
• BioSupply Crossroads will bring production of critical bioeconomy inputs back to U.S. soil by matching biomanufacturer demand with regional manufacturing capacity.
• BioTalent Catalyst, led by KC BioHub, will close the biomanufacturing skills gap by connecting employers with educators, expanding biotechnology coursework and automation training across the region.

According to KC BioHub, the initiative is projected to create 11,000 jobs and generate $9.2 billion in regional economic impact over 10 years, with an estimated $11 return to taxpayers for every dollar invested. The award is the first major federal investment tied to the consortium’s 2023 Tech Hub designation and reflects the work of more than 115 partner organizations.

Missouri and Kansas have each contributed to a $4 million match assembled with the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the first time the two state legislatures have co-funded an innovation initiative. KC BioHub President Melissa Roberts Chapman said the consortium has positioned the region “to lead in the global race to build the next great biotech ecosystem.”

For companies weighing a U.S. location for biologics or pharmaceutical production, the award reinforces momentum Missouri has been building through API reshoring and its human health research base. It also follows the $160 million NSF Regional Innovation Engines award to a UMKC-led critical materials coalition.

Read the full announcement from KC BioHub.