Today the USDA revealed investments of over $12.5 million as part of the USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The awards will support 76 small businesses conducting high-quality research that addresses critical scientific challenges and opportunities in agriculture.
“Science-based innovations from federally funded research, often developed through public-private partnerships, create products and services that increase productivity and enhance global competitiveness for the U.S. agriculture sector,” said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, chief scientist and Under Secretary for research, education, and economics, in a statement.
The awards announced today include the first round of USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded STTR awards, which accelerate projects led by small businesses partnering with nonprofit research institutions to transfer technology to the marketplace. The STTR program supports 15 businesses in 12 states with a $2.5 million investment.
“Small businesses play a key role driving innovation in the food and agriculture sectors,” said USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director Dr. Manjit K. Misra in a statement. “By partnering with research institutions, these small businesses are bridging an important gap between where science is conducted and how it is made available to the public.”
Among awards in both programs, 20 will go to minority- or woman-owned small businesses. Twenty-two of the businesses are in HUBZones, urban or rural communities located in economically distressed areas.
Some of the funded businesses are as follows:
• Evergreen Aquatics in Washington, which seeks to improve the viability of burbot, a cod-like freshwater fish, as a new U.S. aquaculture species,
• Home Grown Fuels in Vermont, in partnership with the University at Albany, which uses plants to clean up contamination from “forever chemicals,”
• Padma Agrobotics in Arizona, which is developing an automated robotic harvester for cilantro and other specialty crops harvested in bunches.
Phase I request for SBIR and STTR funding is currently accepting proposals until September 19, 2023.
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