Kansas has a high level of community acceptance and has demonstrated strong, unified public-private support for building the NBAF in Kansas. This support is built on Manhattan’s deep understanding of scientific research and on the successful foundation set by lab building projects such as K-State’s Biosecurity Research Institute.
At the state level, one clear sign of public support in Kansas is found in the nearly unanimous endorsement of the project by the people’s elected representatives at the university, city, county, state, and federal level, as well as producer groups and civic organizations.
On a regional and national level, the Heartland BioAgro Consortium grew significantly as states around the country affirmed Kansas’ strength in bioscience, and animal-health research in particular. Individually and through the Midwestern Governors Association, the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin urged the federal government to select Kansas for the NBAF. These 15 governors are a diverse, bipartisan coalition offering an impressive range of support.
Furthermore, the Heartland BioAgro Consortium has garnered strong backing inside and outside of Kansas from a broad range of research universities and institutes; subject-matter experts; the animal-health industry; commodity and producer groups; and elected officials.