DBIA Awarding Six Grants Through New Research Program

The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), is awarding grants to six research groups at the University of Wisconsin through the newly created DBIA Research Program for total of $1.2 million. 

The DBIA Research Program is funding research projects that focus on developing opportunities for converting dairy co-product streams into commercially feasible, value-added products. The by-products of dairy processing are many and varied – whey, permeate, lactose, acid whey, etc. Typically, these items are considered low-value commodity products that are frequently spread on the land or dried and used as animal feed. The projects selected by the DBIA have the potential to develop technologies to utilize dairy co-products. These research projects will have a practical component, combining both research and development activities. 

“We need to accelerate our innovation efforts to develop value-added uses for byproducts from cheesemaking. These byproducts should be viewed as renewable feedstocks for the emerging green bioeconomy; each of the projects selected will try to scaleup or further develop their technology to bring them closer to commercialization,” said CDR Director John Lucey. 

“These cutting-edge projects represent enormous opportunity for our industry. We’re proud to partner with CDR, a global leader in dairy research, to help support dairy processors’ advancements in environmental sustainability,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer. 

The six projects selected will receive funding for up to three years and will present on their work through the Center for Dairy Research industry research forums. The projects span multiple departments, including bacteriology, bioenergy, biological systems engineering, chemical and biological engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and food science. More details about the funded projects will be available soon at https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/dbia-research-rfp.  

DBIA is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture award intended to drive dairy business innovation and make the industry more robust and resilient. The DBIA region includes Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. More details are available at cdr.wisc.edu.