Ginkgo Bioworks awarded $6M contract from DARPA

Ginkgo Bioworks announced that it has been awarded a contract for up to $6M from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to achieve DARPA’s objectives under its new Ice Control for cold Environments program. DARPA’s ICE program aims to develop new materials that control the physical properties of ice crystals to facilitate operations in extreme cold weather environments, which can pose a variety of risks to both personnel health and critical equipment. To meet this goal, Ginkgo, in collaboration with Netrias, Cambium, and consultant Dr. Ran Drori, aims to develop novel biologically-sourced and inspired materials that leverage biological adaptations to cold environments.