NextGen Manchester: NH Biofabrication Cluster

The BioFabrication cluster is a coalition of community stakeholders in Southern New Hampshire establishing the region as the global epicenter for the production, workforce, and distribution of regenerative tissues and organs, as awarded through the US Economic Development Administration’s $44 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant awarded in fall, 2022. Bringing engineered cells, tissues, and ultimately organs to patients will revolutionize healthcare, saving lives and reducing healthcare costs, while ensuring that the region realizes economic benefits. Having made significant progress in recent years, the cluster is at a tipping point where a series of targeted investments will complete the transition to market. Key stakeholders include the City of Manchester, NH; the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) and BioFab USA; Southern New Hampshire University; University of New Hampshire; Manchester Transit Authority; Manchester-Boston Regional Airport; and Southern NH Planning Commission. Coalition work will include building: The BioFab Foundry in Manchester's historic Millyard for late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing -- a facility suitable for scaled production of cells, tissues, and organs as life-saving therapies; An Innovation & Training Center to bring together and support industry actors; A BioFabrication Startup Lab & accelerator; A Work & Learn program in partnership with local university & community-based organizations; Pilot stations for an electric vertical take-off and landing logistics network to be used for future organ distribution. The BBBRC funding builds on upstream investments from the U.S. Department of Defense, complementing other federal resources by ensuring that benefits from cluster growth are directed to underserved communities in Southern New Hampshire.