Launched in 2008, the Biobased Industry Center (BIC) leverages the intellectual resources of interdisciplinary research and education programs to address critical business, infrastructure, supply chain, and policy issues facing the growing biobased economy.

To facilitate expansion of the biobased products industry, new investment, training, and analytical effort is needed. With the committed partnership of industry leaders, BIC has the depth and breadth of academic scholarship as well as the resources necessary to address these efforts thoroughly and successfully.

The center is directed by James Bushnell, Iowa State University's first Cargill Endowed Chair in Energy Economics. The endowment enabled the recruitment of Bushnell, a nationally recognized energy economist, to accelerate research in biorenewables and bring crucial leadership to the biobased industry center.