North Columbus News

The Ohio State University has been awarded $26 million in federal funding to initiate natural rubber production in the United States and enhance workforce development for the new domestic industry.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced funding today (Aug. 21, 2024) for the creation of the “Transformation of American Rubber through Domestic Innovation for Supply Security” (TARDISS) Engineering Research Center (ERC). The initial round of funding will last five years, with a potential renewal for another $26 million over an additional five years.

“Our ongoing priority is to support the people, communities and businesses in Ohio by leveraging the expertise and research of our outstanding faculty and students through these partnerships,” Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. said. “Ohio State is proud to lead this work advancing domestic natural rubber production in our state and region.”

TARDISS, composed of academic partners and supported by industry stakeholders, will spearhead fundamental research aimed at creating a “Silicon Valley of Domestic Natural Rubber Production,” according to Judit Puskas, professor of food, agricultural and biological engineering (FABE) and a Distinguished University Professor at Ohio State. As principal investigator on the grant, Puskas will lead the center along with its director, Ajay Shah, also a professor in FABE. Katrina Cornish, Ohio State professor emeritus and current director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, will serve as an external adviser to TARDISS.

The ERC aims to bridge engineering, biology, and agriculture to revolutionize alternative natural rubber production from domestic crops such as guayule, TK “rubber” dandelion, and mountain gum. The initiative also seeks to create jobs, train a new diverse workforce in engineering and agriculture, and alleviate supply chain issues by establishing a domestic rubber supply.

“Ohio State is prepared to make the most of this opportunity to get domestic natural rubber production up and running,” said Puskas. “This significant federal support coupled with the large network of expertise under the ERC umbrella positions us well to meet the critical need for a biotechnology-driven solution that boosts domestic manufacturing and reduces reliance on imports.”

Disease threats combined with high demand endanger Hevea brasiliensis—the world’s primary natural rubber source—with 10% lost to disease in 2019 alone. Researchers warn that expanding direct airline travel between Brazil and China increases risks like South American leaf blight transmission to Southeast Asia. A collapse in global supply could disrupt economies worldwide.

As lead institution for this multi-institutional ERC project, Ohio State will collaborate with several universities including California Institute of Technology; North Carolina State University; Texas Tech University; University of California Merced; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Case Western Reserve University; as well as industry partners like The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, Waters Corp., among others.

TARDISS will be headquartered at Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Wooster campus.

“Ohio State is prepared and eager to lead this critical initiative,” said Ayanna Howard, Dean of the College of Engineering. "This center will integrate engineering with biology and other science disciplines leading to breakthrough discoveries."

Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES stated: “As a land-grant university...we work to ensure that groundbreaking scientific discoveries are brought out of the laboratory into practical use.” She added that NSF's investment underscores Ohio State's commitment to impactful research.

Industry collaboration is deemed essential for TARDISS ERC’s success both technologically and workforce-wise.

“There is tremendous economic potential in U.S. bioengineering unlocked by TARDISS,” noted Fraser McLeod from Waters Corp., expressing support for critical research enabling cultivation/extraction technologies beneficial for American industry.

Lakisha Barclay from Rubber Division ACS highlighted how shifting natural rubber production domestically could stabilize supply chains benefiting numerous U.S.-based companies while generating jobs/startups within their sector.

Since its inception in 1985 until now excluding today’s announcements—NSF’s ERC program funded 79 centers supporting them up-to-10-years each fostering innovation/inclusion across established/emerging engineering fields through educational/government/industry partnerships

“NSF’s Engineering Research Centers ask big questions catalyzing solutions impacting broadly," remarked NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan emphasizing ERCs' role accelerating innovations yielding substantial economic/societal benefits nationwide

With today's announcement joining HAMMER ERC funded back-in-2022—Ohio-State becomes one among few universities leading simultaneous NSF-funded awards

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