Illinois Soybean Association Announces SpringBoard Challenge Winners

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 - The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) announced the inaugural winners of the SpringBoard Seed Funding Challenge at the Illinois Innovation Network's Sustainability Research Conference at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

The 2025 SpringBoard Challenge targets five critical sustainability categories where soy-based inputs can displace petrochemicals: bioplastics, lubricants, PFAS substitutes, biopolymers, and biofibers.

Four research project proposals were approved by the SpringBoard Technical Review Committee.

The winning proposals are as follows:

1. Self-Healing Polymers from Soybean Oil. Submitted by Kyle Plunkett at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
2. Soybealon: Chemo-bio hybrid biomanufacturing of advanced biodegradable polyester amides (PEAs) from soy meal and soy hull. Submitted by Saptarshi Ghosh and Lahiru N. Jayakody at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
3. Low-carbon specialty lipids for liquefied soybean hulls. Submitted by Junli Liu at Purdue University and Yan Zhang at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
4. A novel method of separation, concentration, and extraction of rare earth elements utilizing soybean oil and three-dimensional nanoporous micro-ribbons. Submitted by Punit Kohli and Annie Vargas at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

An initiative of ISA's Soy Innovation Center, the challenge is designed to find new uses for soy by identifying and supporting early-stage innovations in soy-based, non-food applications. The Illinois Innovation Network co-sponsors the challenge with the Center.

"We're excited to see this cutting-edge research unfold in the next year," said Todd Main, ISA's Director of Market Development. "Finding new uses for soybeans expands the market potential and will help drive demand in the future, ultimately increasing profitability for farmers."

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The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development, soybean production and government relations efforts, while the membership program, Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) and the Illinois Soybean Growers PAC actively advocates for positive and impactful legislation for farmers at local, state and national levels. ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean farmers through promotion, advocacy, research and education with the vision of becoming a trusted partner of Illinois soybean farmers to ensure their profitability now and for future generations. For more information, visit the website https://www.ilsoy.org and https://www.ilsoygrowers.com.

The Illinois Innovation Network drives inclusive and integrated research, innovation and economic development across Illinois. It comprises all thirteen Illinois public university campuses, plus the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago and Distillery Labs in Peoria. For more information, visit the IIN website at https://iin.uillinois.edu/.

Media Contact:
Betsy Osman
Illinois Soybean Association
[email protected]