The National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) announced on August 7, 2025, an investment of nearly $32 million to five teams across the United States through the NSF Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design (NSF USPRD) initiative. NSF states that the initiative “aims to accelerate the translation of artificial intelligence [(AI)]-based approaches to protein design and enable new applications of importance to the U.S. bioeconomy.”
NSF provides the following summaries of the awarded projects:
- Arzeda Corp. — AI-designed Enzymes using Non-natural Cofactors for the Production of Bio-based Acrylates: By leveraging AI and advanced protein engineering, this project aims to transform the production of acrylates, costly molecules used in paints, Plexiglas®, and super-absorbent materials. The team will engineer enzymes to incorporate cost-efficient cofactor analogs to improve their stability and performance. The resulting scalable, cost-effective biocatalytic process can be readily expanded, potentially enabling affordable acrylate production. It also creates opportunities to make other important molecules that are hard to produce with current methods. This project has the potential to accelerate the commercialization of advanced protein engineering, driving innovation and growth in the U.S. bioeconomy, with benefits for both industries and consumers.
- Koliber Biosciences Inc. — Transporters with Transformers: The team is addressing a key bottleneck in bioproduction: the inefficient transport of small molecules across cell membranes, which constrains microbial production systems. By developing AI and machine learning tools to select and optimize cellular transporters, the project will enhance commercial outputs across the biomanufacturing industry. This advancement will help secure a stable supply of essential chemicals and expand applications in the food, agriculture, and energy sectors. The outcome could be lower production costs of key components, and it will support a more resilient and competitive U.S. chemical supply chain that is better equipped to withstand disruptions.
- Novozymes Inc. — Enabling Cell-free Synthesis of Longer Human Milk Oligosaccharides: This project aims to enable the production of complex human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), nutrients essential to infant health and development that are difficult to produce. Using advanced enzyme engineering, machine learning, and cell-free protein synthesis, the team will develop and optimize tools for synthesizing longer, more biologically relevant HMOs. This work could lead to improved infant nutrition products and support the development of new enzyme systems with commercial properties for broader applications in human health and nutrition.
- Purdue University — Programmable Small Molecule Biosynthesis: The team will develop bacteria to produce efficiently biodegradable and recyclable plastics that can withstand high temperatures, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional, unrecyclable plastics. This innovation addresses challenges posed by unrecyclable plastics and has the potential to accelerate the future of biodesign by enabling the domestic manufacturing of high-performance, sustainable materials.
- University of California (UC) Santa Barbara — De Novo Design and Evolution of Enzymes for Biomass Upcycling to Surfactants and Fuels: By leveraging emerging AI-based methods to design effective enzymes and overcome challenges in biomass upcycling, this project aims to convert abundant plant materials into high-value products, such as fuels, lubricants, and surfactants. In doing so, it seeks to advance sustainable biomanufacturing, expanding the economic potential of the bioeconomy through more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective production methods.
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