The Midwest Advanced Food Manufacturing Alliance (MAFMA) is an association of leading research university and corporate partners formed to develop and transfer new manufacturing and processing technologies for food products from crops and livestock. The purpose of the Midwest Advanced Food Manufacturing Alliance (“MAFMA” or “the Alliance”) is to expedite the development of new manufacturing and processing technologies for food and related products derived from U.S. produced crops and livestock. Research scientists in food science and technology, food engineering, nutrition, microbiology, computer sciences, and other relevant areas from 13 leading Midwestern universities and private sector researchers from numerous U.S. food processing companies will conduct the work of the Alliance. Specific research projects will be awarded on a competitive basis to university scientists with matching funding from non-federal sources for research involving the processing, packaging, storage, and transportation of food products. The close cooperation between corporate and university researchers will assure that the latest scientific advances are applied to the most relevant problems and that any solutions will be efficiently transferred and used by the private sector.