The Kansas Bioscience Authority is spending $2.5 million to start a nationwide research effort designed to protect Americans, and the U.S. economy, from the potential effects of intentionally inflicted animal-borne diseases.

And if the effort – dubbed the Collaborative Biosecurity Research Initiative, building from expertise and infrastructure at Kansas State University – happens to boost the state’s efforts to land a planned $451 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, officials say, that’s all the better.

“Kansas State University is one of six sites under consideration for the NBAF, and initiatives like this highlight our commitment to win it on the merits,” said state Rep. Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls and Kansas speaker of the House, in a statement. “Our state already has established itself as a world leader in animal and plant biosciences. : The NBAF would be a great fit in Kansas.”

The initiative is designed to connect K-State’s existing biosecurity research capabilities and equipment with researchers from other universities, federal agencies and nonprofit operations.

Officials say the defense lab would generate up to 1,500 construction jobs and have an economic impact of $3.5 billion over its first 20 years.

K-State’s existing Biosecurity Research Institute already studies pathogens and pests that can threaten U.S. agriculture. The institute integrates plant pathology, food safety, entomology, veterinary medicine and molecular biology.

Such existing work complements what is planned for the new national defense lab, which would replace an existing lab in New York and be developed and operated by the federal government. The lab would have up to 350 researchers working to find ways to battle avian flu, foot-and-mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and Nipah and Hendra viruses – diseases that threaten animals and humans alike.

The government is expected to select a winning site for the lab in October, with construction to begin at least a year later. The lab would be operational by 2014.

The new authority initiative, announced ahead of today’s scheduled Kansas Bioscience Day at the Kansas Statehouse, aims to jump-start work that would be conducted at the new defense lab.

“The research horsepower leveraged by this initiative will enable K-State and our collaborators to play a critical role in protecting our nation from high-consequence biological threats,” said Ron Trewyn, K-State’s vice president for research.

Working to prevent and fight agroterrorism is especially appropriate in Kansas, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said, given the state’s expansive agriculture industry and extensive research strength in dealing with diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

“We put the food on America’s dinner table, so we take the responsibility of protecting the families around that table very seriously,” said Roberts, R-Kan.