Harford County Celebrates $1M Maryland Grant, Advancing Biomanufacturing at its CONVERGE Center in Aberdeen

Harford County is celebrating an important milestone for the region’s growing biomanufacturing sector: a $1 million state award to help build Maryland’s first fully integrated algae-based biomanufacturing facility.

The Equitech Growth Fund award from TEDCO - a state-supported agency that assists technology companies - will go to local biomanufacturer BrightWave LLC. Combined with a $2M match from the venture capital firm Actual VC, the funding will enhance BrightWave’s ongoing work with Early Charm Ventures VC at Harford County’s CONVERGE Center in Aberdeen, located near Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Biomanufacturing uses living systems, like algae, bacteria, or enzymes, to make materials in cleaner, more efficient ways than traditional manufacturing: it’s a rapidly expanding $500B industry where Harford County is well positioned thanks to its growing talent pool, strong research partners, and expanding lab space. Building on the state’s earlier $500,000 Build Our Future investment, which helped to establish tools now powering CONVERGE’s biomanufacturing ecosystem, this new award will support advanced production equipment and key facility upgrades, including:

• BrightWave’s patented photobioreactors, enabling high-density, controlled algae growth for consistent biomaterial production.

• Specialized downstream processing tools, such as custom pyrolysis units and dewatering systems, which turn raw algae into usable products efficiently on a mass scale

• Upgrades to air handling, water processing, environmental controls, and bioprocessing utilities ensuring the facility can operate safely, reliably, and at the level required for commercial production.

These improvements will transform 1,000 square feet of CONVERGE into a state-of-the-art production floor capable of making sustainable materials—from carbon-negative building products to specialty chemicals used in personal care, aerospace, and defense.

“This award, strengthened by Harford County’s continued partnership, accelerates CONVERGE’s emergence at light speed as a premier hub for advanced manufacturing and opens the door to exceptional high-value job creation throughout the region,” said Ken Malone, CEO of Early Charm Ventures.

The investment marks a major step forward in Harford County’s long-term strategy to grow a world-class biomanufacturing hub. Earlier county and state support, such as the wet lab retrofit that enabled the BrightCharm Proving Ground partnership between BrightWave and Early Charm, created the foundation that helped make this award possible. These combined advancements have also contributed to the Greater Baltimore Region’s recent Federal Tech Hub designation in biomanufacturing, positioning the area for substantial federal investment in the years ahead.

“BrightWave’s award is a major win for Harford County and the Greater Baltimore region. It demonstrates the kind of innovation the federal Tech Hub designation was meant to ignite, and it shows how regional coordination and targeted investment can build an ecosystem that supports cutting-edge companies and creates high-value jobs. We’re excited for what this means not just for CONVERGE, but for the future of biomanufacturing in our county,” said Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly.

The Equitech Growth Fund, part of TEDCO’s Cultivate Maryland initiative, supports infrastructure and workforce development projects that help Maryland compete in innovation-driven industries. In the most recent round, the program awarded more than $4.3 million across nine projects statewide. BrightWave’s $1 million award was the largest infrastructure investment, underscoring the growing importance of Harford County’s biomanufacturing cluster.

As new talent pipelines, research partnerships, and production capabilities continue to expand across the region, Harford County is proud to celebrate this award as a testament to the strength of its innovation ecosystem and its commitment to supporting high-impact, future-focused industries.