The NSF research grant will provide $9.15 million in funding over five years, enabling researchers from five institutions to work toward the development of printable biodegradable electronic devices. Participating institutions include UChicago, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Chicago, and Iowa State University. The iSEE's (Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment's) Bio-Based Chemicals Project fits into the iSEE research theme of Secure and Sustainable Agriculture. This project, led by D.K. Lee and Lisa Ainsworth, is part of a multi-institution effort titled “FMRG: Manufacturing ADvanced Electronics through Printing Using Bio-based and Locally Identified Chemicals (MADE-PUBLIC).” The University of Illinois team will work to increase extraction and production efficiency of plant-based compounds to make inks and their chemical precursors. Illinois researchers will grow and provide a range of feedstock materials with different cell wall compositions and test hydroponic conditions (from delivery of nutrients to environmental conditions) to maximize growth and cell wall composition of genetically engineered model species.