# Biotechnology for Materials - Applied Research — Program Element 0602386A

**Program element:** 0602386A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602386A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding ramps 82% to a $15.0M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 10.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 8.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 15.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 18.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 18.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 19.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 19.2 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 15.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 15.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 15.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 15.0 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (2)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP6 | Foundational Biotechnology Design and Dev | 9.6 | 7.2 | 15.0 | +108% |
| SM1 | Scale-Up Microbial Products for Biomanufacturing | 0.9 | 1.0 | — | −100% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project CP6 — Foundational Biotechnology Design and Dev

This project works collaboratively with Joint Service partners to investigate and determine novel biotechnology methods and processes to establish a domestic resilient supply chain for defense needs. Applied research designs and conducts experiments on bio-derived, bio-functionalized, and bio-manufactured materials and biosynthetic precursors. Efforts under this project investigate and validate models for design of defense applications. Areas of focus may include reclamation or sequestration of rare Earth/critical elements in the defense supply chain and drop-in replacements for currently employed military materials. This project develops biomanufacturing capabilities of mission-critical materials for military use. This project enables the Army to achieve Multi-Domain Operations by securing the supply chain and bridging the gap between laboratory-scale material production and large-scale manufacturing for mission-critical materials. This project also designs and investigates materials through the application of biotechnology and synthetic biology advances to develop material capabilities that respond and/or can adapt to a wide range of external stimuli and biological processes. Research into innovative materials that are capable of sensing, responding, and adapting to a broad spectrum of environmental variables will be conducted. Efforts will also focus on developing models, materials characterization techniques, non-destructive testing methods, advanced fabrication and processing methodologies, and the identification of unique material properties. Work in this project compliments PE 0603386A (Biotechnology for Materials - Advanced Research) / CP7 (Biotechnology Demonstration and Evaluation).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology Safety by Design for Defense | 9.6 | 7.2 | 7.2 |
| Foundational Biotechnology | — | — | 7.8 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project SM1 — Scale-Up Microbial Products for Biomanufacturing

This project develops biomanufacturing capabilities of mission-critical materials for military use. This project enables the Army to achieve Multi-Domain Operations by securing the supply chain and bridging the gap between laboratory-scale material production and large-scale manufacturing for mission-critical materials. Work in this project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC). The project SM1/Scale-Up Microbial Products for Biomanufacturing is a new start in FY 2025 within PE 0602386A / Biotechnology for Materials - Applied Research.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale-Up Microbial Products for Bio Manufacturing of Mission Critical Materials | 0.9 | 1.0 | — |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This PE investigates, designs, and performs research focused on novel biotechnological methods, techniques, and materials to increase the resiliency of the military supply chain. The Army is responsible for centrally managing funding for Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain (T-BRSC) efforts. T-BRSC leverages bio-industrial manufacturing to ensure critical domestic supply chain resilience for defense needs through domestic production of raw materials and critical products. Efforts under this PE collaborate with sister Services and select allied partners to create a cohesive biotechnology architecture to enable defense needs.

## Related program elements

- [0603386A — Biotechnology for Materials - Advanced Research](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603386A) (Army)
- [0602128D8Z — Promotion and Protection Strategies](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602128D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0604771N — Medical Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604771N) (Navy)
- [0603890C — BMD Enabling Programs](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603890C) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0602386A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602386A")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*