Congress Approves $4 Million for UMaine BioHome3D Commercialization Secured by Senator Collins
The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $4,000,000 for the University of Maine’s (UMaine) BioHome3D Congressionally Directed Spending request in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Energy and Water Development appropriations bill. The bill, which was included in legislation that passed the Senate today, now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“Through its production of the world’s first ever 3D-printed house made from recycled forest products, the University of Maine continues to demonstrate its global leadership in innovation and scientific research,” said Senator Collins. “UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is pioneering a new market opportunity for Maine's forests products industry, which could help alleviate housing shortages in Maine and throughout the country. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure funding for this promising and exciting new technology.”
“Since being unveiled last November, the world’s first 3D-printed home made entirely from bio-based materials has withstood the test of a challenging Maine winter and attracted unprecedented state, national and international interest for its exciting potential to solve our affordable housing crisis and revitalize our forest economy,” said University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center Founding Director Habib Dagher. “We are grateful to Senator Collins for her incredible leadership toward securing further federal funding for this innovative research and development effort that would enable us to explore how to dramatically reduce both the cost and time of 3D printing these energy-efficient housing units and ensure the commercial application of this UMaine-made affordable housing technology.”
This funding will accelerate the manufacturing and commercialization of UMaine’s BioHome3D housing construction technology by supporting research and development needed to scale up the wood residual materials used in the printing and manufacturing process.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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