Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL)
What is the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory:
The Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory is a $24 million joint venture between Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It is an institute, to be located on the Tri-Cities campus, in which researchers would turn agriculture waste into viable products, like plastics, solvents and fibers. BSEL would provide badly needed educational space for WSU students and an opportunity for researchers and faculty to collaborate on projects. Governor Christine Gregoire must add $13.1 million back into her capital budget to fund construction of BSEL.
Why the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory matters to Washington:
- A $13.1 million investment by the state/WSU is a down payment on a potentially huge return on investment for agriculture, the growing wine industry and numerous other sectors.
- The Northwest's agricultural and food processing industries benefit because BSEL would provide value-added products for agriculture waste and lead to the development of technologies that would make farmers and food processors more competitive.
- BSEL will be located in the heart of Eastern Washington, an area with four wine districts. It will support wine industry research, while other institutes focus on educating future wine makers and wine production.
- Through BSEL, WSU and PNNL would jointly develop intellectual property and technologies that could be "spun out" to private industry, potentially creating entirely new businesses, further enhancing Washington's economy.
- It will impact the Tri-Cities by providing construction jobs in this project, just the first step in a $250 million future campus for PNNL.
- BSEL is vital to both eastern Washington and Governor Gregoire's Life Sciences Initiative-affording an opportunity to bridge the Cascade Curtain in emerging and important research to all residents of the state.
- Researcher at BSEL--through development of better ways to create and use bioproducts--helps create a more sustainable economy and environment in eastern Washington and throughout the state.
- BSEL would enhance WSU's education system and research base. PNNL staff would serve as advisors, build collaborative programs and support an additional faculty member. It also adds badly needed teaching and research laboratories to the WSU Tri-Cities campus.
- PNNL is interested in building long-term partnerships in the state and region. The national lab has been here 40 years, and will be here for generations to come.