In 1983, the Biocatalysis Research Group, known informally as the ‘Iowa Biocats’ was established at University of Iowa. It became the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing (CBB) and was designated the State’s industrial biotechnology laboratory in 1990.

The CBB is the first and largest organization in the world to organize a multidisciplinary research group focused on biocatalysis and bioprocessing.