Illinois soybean farmers are world leaders in raising bumper crops. Making sure there’s demand for the crop – at home and abroad – is a multifaceted effort ranging from meeting basic demand needs for feed, fuel and food to creating novel uses for the crop to open new, sustainable demand channels. The latter effort depends on a checkoff-funded Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) initiative that calls on the state’s innovators to step forward with a range of new industrial uses. These emerging soy applications can ultimately contribute to Illinois soybean farmers’ bottom lines. Put simply, it’s a high-tech way to ensure strong soybean demand well into the future.

The SpringBoard Seed Funding Challenge kicked off in April 2025, when researchers, industry leaders and investors gathered to kick off the process of identifying the most practical, feasible innovations. With the right support, they could evolve into new soybean demand-drivers. That was Step 1. Then, ISA leaders, innovators and other experts at the ISA Soy Innovation Center put their heads together to evaluate proposed new soybean-based products for advancement through the process that culminated in late September, when a few projects were selected for checkoff funding as part of ISA’s charter to develop new soybean uses.

“We had a panel of scientific experts screen initial proposals that we received earlier in the year,” said ISA Market Development Director Todd Main. “Then, we went back, issued feedback and had a select group create fleshed-out proposals. Then, we went through a second screening process and ended up with eight candidates from universities and the private sector. Our objective was to generate new ideas, not recreate products others have already developed. We want to establish new, original intellectual property that can make a difference for soybean farmers. The projects had to have market relevance, so we’re not just doing research for the sake of research.”

Ensuring commercial viability of new soybean uses

At the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) Sustainability and Social Innovation Research Conference in late September at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, that panel of experts announced checkoff support for four new-use projects that Main and the ISA team expect to create new demand for Illinois soybeans. A large part of the selection criteria stretched beyond the innovations themselves to their commercial viability.

“Commercialization is really the focus. That’s where most new ideas die,” Main said. “So that’s what we wanted to do: reduce the risk of ‘early death’ with these innovations by supporting the ones who have the clearest pathways to commercialization. They also have to be scalable because at the end of the day, this effort is all about moving the pile of soybeans Illinois farmers produce.”

SpringBoard 2025 funding recipients

Projects that received checkoff funding support for their potential for new soybean uses as part of SpringBoard 2025 were:

• Self-healing polymers from soybean oil. A Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) research team is developing self-healing polymers derived from modified soybean oil as a sustainable, bio-based alternative to traditional toxic isocyanate-based coatings. This innovative material is designed to automatically repair small cracks and scratches, effectively stopping the spread of damage and helping extend product life, reduce maintenance costs and lower equipment downtime. Self-repairable polymers also hold significant promise for applications as biomaterials and in flexible electronics.
• Soybealon: Chemo-bio hybrid manufacturing of advanced biodegradable polyester amides (PEAs) from waste soy meal and hulls. SIUC researchers are addressing soybean meal and hull waste by developing a new class of high-growth bioplastics called Polyester Amides (PEAs). This innovative project proposes a chemo-bio hybrid process to upcycle soy waste into a durable and degradable bioplastic called Soybealon. It offers a cost-efficient, sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based materials.
• Low-carbon specialty lipids for liquefied soybean hulls. A Purdue University team is tackling the significant carbon footprint and toxicity of the over 95% of lubricants currently derived from crude oil by developing high-value biolubricants from renewable sources that are naturally biodegradable and have low toxicity. The project focuses on an integrated process that uses soybean hulls as the primary feedstock to create these sustainable alternatives, an innovation that establishes a new market for soybean producers that can be seamlessly adopted by existing corn ethanol plants because of the established logistics of the raw material supply chain.
• Novel method of separation, concentration and extraction of rare-earth elements using soybean oil and three-dimensional nanoporous micro-ribbons. Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) researchers are developing a cleaner, more efficient solution for the extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from coal ash, replacing current methods that pose environmental and health risks. Their novel, single-step process utilizes a unique gel formed by a combination of soybean oil and specialized nanoporous micro-ribbons (MRs) to effectively separate, concentrate and extract the REEs. This innovative approach promises to be a significantly more cost-effective, time-saving and environmentally friendly way to secure these essential elements.

A ’clear path forward’ for new soybean uses

Moving forward, Main said the projects recognized and funded in SpringBoard 2025 will advance through commercialization. The ultimate goal with the newly funded companies will be the creation and expansion of new and existing sustainable, soy-based products that will raise demand and, ultimately, prices for Illinois soybean farmers.

“We have a pretty clear path forward. It’s easy to have meetings and talk about all of this stuff, but at the end of the day, you have to deliver new soybean uses that make sense, attract investment and help move the soybean pile,” Main said. “With the Soy Innovation Center and soybean checkoff supporting these projects, we’re going to advance these technology solutions that scale into meaningful demand-drivers for Illinois soybeans.”