A new grant program at the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) is looking for entrepreneurs, scientists, and established companies with innovative technologies to convert dairy co-products, like permeate and acid whey, into higher value products like bioplastics, organic acids, and food ingredients. CDR’s Accelerate Biotechnological Innovations in Dairy (ABID) grant program has the equipment, expertise and business development funding to help develop and scale up these innovative technologies utilizing dairy byproducts.
As part of the ABID grant program, CDR is providing access to its recently opened pilot plant for the development of the technologies upcycling dairy byproduct by the selected applicants.
In addition to its pilot plant, the Center has installed a 400L bioreactor, which will play a key role in helping to develop and scale up the bio-fermentation technology necessary to convert dairy co-products into higher value green chemicals. The bioreactor features a stainless-steel, sterilize-in-place (SIP) design with advanced Allen Bradley® PLC automation provides precise control over temperature, pH, aeration, and agitation—parameters essential for process reproducibility and scale-up. This system can help bridge bench-scale discovery and commercial production, supporting diverse applications such as, lactic acid bacteria fermentation and enzyme production, prebiotic and postbiotic synthesis from dairy substrates, biotransformation of lactose-rich waste into functional ingredients, process optimization for food, nutraceutical, and biopolymer applications.
To accelerate innovation and commercialization within the dairy and bioprocessing sectors, CDR provides strategic access to business development funding through the ABID grant program and associated state initiatives. These funding mechanisms are designed to bridge academic research and industrial application, supporting early-stage technology validation, pilot-scale trials, and market translation.
CDR collaborates with startups (both national and international), processors, and academic institutions (both national and international) to de-risk innovation and expand the state’s bioeconomy footprint. Through this program, qualifying entities gain:
- Funding support: Competitive funding opportunities to offset research and development costs, enabling faster progression from concept to prototype.
- Collaborative partnerships: Access to CDR’s interdisciplinary expertise in purification of dairy waste streams, dairy co-product valorization, fermentation, purification, and applications in dairy products
- Technical and regulatory guidance: Support in process optimization, scale-up feasibility, and compliance with biosafety standards.
- Commercialization pathways: Connections with industry partners, investors, and manufacturing networks to facilitate pilot-to-market transitions.
Learn more about this opportunity at https://abid.wisc.edu/grant-programs/build-to-scale/.
IMAGE CAPTION: CDR’s new Eppendorf BioFlo® Pro bioreactor complements the CDR’s existing suite of dairy processing technologies and will help transform bench-scale innovation into pilot-scale trials, bridging the gap between research discovery and commercial application.
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