# NIIMBL

announced 8 new technology and workforce projects in May 2026, including an enhanced end-to-end manufacturing testbed for fast, flexible drug-substance manufacturing.


Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/companies/niimbl/
Updated: 2026-08-18

- Country: United States

## Verifiable facts

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliation | Public-private partnership part of the Manufacturing USA network, sponsored by NIST in the U.S. Department of Commerce, and organized by the University of Delaware | https://cbe.udel.edu/news/2025/10/23/niimbl-led-team-selected-for-10-5-million-gates-grand-challenges-funding-award/, https://www.niimbl.org/news/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects/, https://www.nist.gov/oam/national-institute-innovation-manufacturing-biopharmaceuticals-niimbl |
| Research focus | Biopharmaceutical manufacturing innovation, including real-time process analytics, AI/ML-based process optimization, novel protein expression platforms, and workforce development | https://www.manufacturingusa.com/institutes/niimbl, https://www.manufacturingusa.com/news/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects, https://www.niimbl.org/news/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects/, https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/05/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects |
| Facility | End-to-End Manufacturing Testbed located at NIIMBL headquarters in Delaware | https://www.niimbl.org/projects/enhancement-of-the-end-to-end-manufacturing-testbed-for-fast-flexible-drug-substance-manufacturing/ |
| Grant | Project Call 9.1 awarded $9.7 million in May 2026; NIIMBL-led team awarded $10.5 million Gates Grand Challenges grant in October 2025 | https://cbe.udel.edu/news/2025/10/23/niimbl-led-team-selected-for-10-5-million-gates-grand-challenges-funding-award/, https://www.niimbl.org/news/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects/, https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/05/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects |
| Publications | Cumulative portfolio of 230 technical and workforce development projects since 2017 [medium confidence] | https://www.niimbl.org/news/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects/, https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/05/niimbl-announces-8-new-technology-and-workforce-projects |
| Principal staff | Kelvin Lee (Director), Christopher J. Roberts (Associate Institute Director), John Balchunas (Workforce Director), and other leadership and senior fellows including John Erickson, Barry Buckland, and James Saylor | https://cbe.udel.edu/news/2025/10/23/niimbl-led-team-selected-for-10-5-million-gates-grand-challenges-funding-award/, https://www.datanyze.com/companies/niimbl/406089058, https://www.niimbl.org/about/, https://www.niimbl.org/about/organization/, https://www.nist.gov/oam/national-institute-innovation-manufacturing-biopharmaceuticals-niimbl |
| Headcount | Approximately 62-63 employees as of May 2026 [medium confidence] | https://aeroleads.com/c/niimbl-the-national-institute-for-innovation-in-manufacturing-biopharmaceuticals/management, https://www.datanyze.com/companies/niimbl/406089058 |

Independent sources: aeroleads.com, cbe.udel.edu, datanyze.com, manufacturingusa.com, nist.gov

## Technologies

- [Scale-up centers for innovative biologic small-batch production](https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/biologic-scale-up-centers/)