Soy Ahoy! Organizations Work To Accelerate Commercialization

The Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) and the Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center (OBIC), in conjunction with PolymerOhio, recently launched an initiative that will accelerate the innovation and commercialization of soy-based industrial products. Funded in part by the OSC and soybean checkoff, the Cell to Sell™ soy technology program is a Web-based portfolio management and communications system that leverages resources to address unmet market needs. According to these organizations, it also provides a credible, timely source of information to assist Ohio agricultural, manufacturing and research collaborators in the commercial development and utilization of soy-based products. "The ultimate goal is to assemble as many soy technologies as possible into the database, evaluate them and perform a techno-economic analysis on the top technologies in a group session," says OBIC Soy Initiative Project Leader Kenneth Anderson. "The process is expected to surface high-potential soy products with industrial applications." The Ohio organizations believe that Cell to Sell™ will be a powerful resource for collaborators in the bioproducts industry, and will help enhance the global competitiveness of Ohio chemical and polymer companies via utilization of bioproducts-with an emphasis on soy-based products, of course. The network generated by this resource includes suppliers, manufacturers, commodity organizations, researchers and other industry leaders. In this age of dependence on petroleum-based products, entrepreneurs and researchers are forging new and noteworthy industrial uses for soybeans every day. In fact, soybeans have already become a biodegradable raw material substitute for many commercial products, the organizations say. "The Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff are dedicated to finding new uses for soybeans in an effort to increase demand for Ohio soybeans," admits Dan Corcoran, OSC chairperson and Pike County soybean farmer. "This new technology management system will now combine all of the great soy-based technologies that are available, market them to industry leaders and accelerate demand for these products." Industrial products derived from soybeans include industrial lubricants, adhesives, plastics and foams, as well as energy solutions, such as soy biodiesel. The organizations believe these products help provide solutions for problems related to environmental sustainability, dependency on foreign oil and job creation in America. Those who have developed technologies related to soy-based materials are encouraged to complete an online submission at www.obic.us, and describe the technology with sufficient detail and relative metrics about its current status. All submissions will be evaluated relative to its state in the commercialization process, relevance to Ohio collaborators and market potential.