NASA announced Wednesday that the Iowa State research park is to be the home of the National Food Technology Commercial Space Center.

The $2.8 million research center will work to provide astronauts with more palatable and nutritious food that meets NASA requirements and can be marketed on Earth.

David Olson, professor of animal science and food science and human nutrition, is director of the Utilization Center for Agricultural Products (UCAP) and was the principal investigator on the proposal, submitted last September.

He will become the new center’s director when it is expected to open in October.

Olson said the center will focus on two issues: developing foods that meet NASA’s requirements for space and producing those foods so they also have multi-space and terrestrial market.

“We want to develop technology for producing space food to be used in the marketplace on Earth,” he said.

NASA has committed about $2.8 million to the center, distributed in one $300,000 planning grant and $500,000 in yearly payments for five years.

Olson said if the center shows success, the funding can be renewed for another five years.

“It’s a very high profile center, it’s the only food technology commercial space center in the U.S.,” he said.

Olson said the center is expected to gain recognition for the university and generate research dollars.

“Because we are going to be working with a number of different companies, we are going to have some very strong ties develop with the research companies,” he said.

Olson said corporate partners for the project have currently made commitments totaling over $1 million to the center, but he expects more companies to step forward now that the center has been approved.

Maytag Corp., Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and Hy-Vee Inc. are the current corporate sponsors and six other companies are corporate affiliates that offered to work with the center as needed.

“The companies are going to be the center part of the research plan, researchers at Iowa State and other universities will serve in a consulting role,” Olson said.

Myrt Levin, executive director of the Iowa Business Council, said the Iowa Business Council and Maytag discovered the program and encouraged Iowa State to apply for it.

“We discovered the opportunity for this grant and thought it would be wonderful for Iowa,” she said.

Levin said the council and Maytag were also involved in helping to find sponsors for the center.

“The more industry involvement we have, the better change we have at getting the grant,” she said.

Levin said she expects more sponsors to jump at the opportunity to get involved with the NASA program.

“If your product was used to feed astronauts going to Mars, I think the public would be standing in line for it,” she said.

Levin said she did not have any doubt that ISU would receive the grant.

“Iowa State has an impeccable reputation, they are viewed with high regard,” she said. “And there aren’t a whole lot of NASA projects in Iowa.”

Olson said he was not sure how many other universities submitted proposals for the center but was surprised to hear ISU won the grant.

“It’s a shocker,” he said.

Olson said the center will tie in with UCAP because it is also focused on value-added uses of raw materials.

He said research and development at the center will follow the direction the state is moving as well as the university.

“Part of the governor’s initiative is to have Iowa be the food capital of the world,” Olson said. “[The center] will contribute to this overall initiative.”