Recipe for success

The Bioprocessing and Industrial Value Added Products, or BIVAP, Innovation Center at Kansas State University has impacted the world outside its walls for over 20 years. Now, backed by the Campus Restoration Act, its attention is shifting inward — focusing on modernizing its facilities to increase efficiency and strengthen collaboration.

 

The facility, operated by the Department of Grain and Food Science, brings together three specialized spaces: the biomaterials and technology laboratory, the extrusion pilot facility and laboratory, and the bioprocessing and renewable energy laboratory.

Under one roof, researchers and industry partners work in tandem, turning agricultural commodities into market-ready products while advancing sustainable technologies designed to tackle agriculture's most urgent challenges.

"95% of the work we do here is a direct partnership with industry, where we're actually working with them to solve their problems," said Joseph Awika, department head for grain and food science.

As one of the facilities selected for funding under the Campus Restoration Act, BIVAP will expand its reach by increasing research and collaborative space, including 10 new flexible laboratories built to support a wide range of research activities.

Chad Paulk, associate professor of grain science and industry, says that while the updates to equipment and operations are exciting, he looks forward to new collaborative opportunities the most.

 

By investing in its facilities, BIVAP will be able to further invest in campus, Kansas and the world, positioning the center to respond more quickly to industry needs and take on more complex, high-impact projects.