UW Institute for Protein Design Receives $7M Grant to Advance AI-Enabled Enzyme Design

The grant from Washington Research Foundation will strengthen Washington state's leadership in protein science and accelerate the translation of discoveries into new tools and companies.

Mar. 19, 2026 at 4:52pm

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The University of Washington Institute for Protein Design (IPD) has received a $7 million grant from the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) to accelerate the development of new catalytic enzymes and protein-based technologies with applications across medicine, technology, and sustainability. The multi-year initiative aims to strengthen the IPD's deep learning-enabled enzyme design capabilities, improve its "design-build-test-learn" pipeline, and move ideas from computational design through gene synthesis and laboratory validation.

Why it matters

The program will help solidify Washington state's position as a global hub for protein design research, translate scientific discoveries into practical tools and companies, and expand the state's innovation ecosystem. By improving the speed and reliability of the IPD's protein design pipeline, the initiative aims to make it easier for scientists to move from concept to functional protein, accelerating progress and translation into real-world products.

The details

The initiative will be led by David Baker, Ph.D., director of the IPD, a professor of biochemistry, and an HHMI Investigator at the University of Washington. The program will focus on strengthening the IPD's deep learning-enabled enzyme design capabilities, improving the "design-build-test-learn" pipeline, and generating enzymes and sensors for applications in therapeutics, diagnostics, molecular electronics, renewable energy, greenhouse gas management, and waste material degradation. The program will also expand the IPD's collaborations to include partners in areas such as waste management, renewable energy, and advanced materials, connecting scientific advances to practical problems and supporting pathways to new products, intellectual property, and startup formation. Training a new generation of innovators is a central component of the initiative, with interdisciplinary teams of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers receiving mentorship in translational science and entrepreneurship.

  • The grant from WRF will be paid over four years beginning in mid-2026.

The players

David Baker

Director of the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design, professor of biochemistry, and HHMI Investigator at the University of Washington. He received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on computational protein design.

Washington Research Foundation (WRF)

A nonprofit organization that supports research, scholarship, and entrepreneurship in Washington state, with a focus on life sciences and enabling technologies. WRF has provided over $188 million in grants to the state's research institutions and backed 132 local startups since 1996.

University of Washington Institute for Protein Design (IPD)

A research institute at the University of Washington focused on advancing protein science and translating discoveries into practical tools and companies across multiple applications.

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What they’re saying

“Many global industries — including pharma, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing — depend on catalysts to drive essential chemical reactions. With AI, we can now design these molecules from scratch, tailored precisely to the task at hand. This grant from WRF will help us push this technology further and train a new generation of scientists to bring designed enzymes from the computer to the lab to the market.”

— David Baker, Director, University of Washington Institute for Protein Design

What’s next

The IPD will receive additional support for the project from philanthropist Sanford Weill, the Fund for Science and Technology (FFST), and the IPD Breakthrough Fund. The University of Washington is also providing additional office and lab space in Seattle's South Lake Union to accommodate the initiative.

The takeaway

This grant from the Washington Research Foundation will help solidify Washington state's position as a global leader in protein science and accelerate the translation of cutting-edge protein design research into practical tools and companies that can address challenges across industries, from medicine and sustainability to advanced materials and renewable energy.