© Zivana | Dreamstime.com – Nebraska State Flag Photo
Nebraska is ramping up its bio-based partnerships and wooing new companies to move to the state. According to a recent Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), bioscience companies employ more than 16,000 people in the state with the industry growing at a faster pace than the national average. For instance, several global and national companies are already located in Nebraska, including: NatureWorks (corn-based plastics), Novozymes (enzyme technology), Purac (lactic acid), Laurel BioComposite (bioresins from distillers grains), Pharmgate (animal pharmaceuticals) and many more.
“Nebraska is well-suited to capitalize on the next wave of scientific breakthroughs in the biosciences,” said Phil Kozera, executive director of Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association. “There are many opportunities for next-generation companies to evolve in Nebraska, which leads to job creation and strengthening the state’s global leadership in value-added agriculture.”
Nebraska is the nation’s second largest ethanol producer with 25 plants. Ethanol and its co-products can serve as the foundation for many next-generation bioproducts from green chemicals to nutraceuticals and animal feed supplements.
Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator notes, “Ethanol plant locations have a steady and abundant supply of grain, oilseeds, biomass and livestock, on which many bio-based technologies depend. Nebraska has all the raw materials necessary to create strategic partnerships with bio-based companies.”
The state has also implemented several economic development incentive programs to lure additional biosciences companies to Nebraska. For example, Nebraska Advantage offers significant tax incentives for companies that relocate or expand their businesses in the state.
“In order to foster the development and growth of these enterprises, we actively collaborate between government, education, business and agriculture to reduce red tape,” said DED Director Courtney Dentlinger. “This strong partnership between the public and private sectors is a major factor in attracting companies to locate in Nebraska.”