The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of over $2.3 million as part of the USDA Small Business Innovation Research Program. NIFA recently awarded eight grants totaling $812,939 to small businesses to improve plant production and protection, eight awards totaling $797,602 for animal production and protection, and seven awards totaling $706,120 for conserving natural resources.
“NIFA’s Small Business Innovation Research program stimulates technological innovations in the private sector and strengthens the role of federal research and development in support of small businesses,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “This program also fosters and encourages participation by women-owned and socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses.”
Examples of funded Plant Production and Protection (Biology) Small Business Innovation Research projects include: A project from Southern Escape Vanillery, LLC, of Homestead, Florida, “Domestic Vanilla Cultivation: Agrivoltaics, Propagation, and Breeding,” to develop novel approaches to vanilla cultivation, plant propagation and breeding to increase domestic production and support rural communities and many others.
The next Phase 1 request for Small Business Innovation Research applications is scheduled to open in July 2021, with a deadline in October 2021. Learn more about USDA’s Small Business Innovation Research program.