Project Grant 1746692

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Industrial Innovation, totaling $250,000, supports research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to develop effective and safe pesticide formulations for protecting crops from fungal diseases. Under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the awardee will identify naturally produced molecules with enhanced fungicidal activity against Botrytis cinerea and Phakopsora pachyrhizi, major pathogens causing billions in annual crop...

Silvec Biologics Inc. was awarded a $174,964 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a proprietary process to control fungi using RNA interference. The SBIR program aims to support scientific innovation to build a strong national economy. Under the award, Silvec will pursue four key objectives through January 2023. The company will identify small interfering RNAs compatible with...

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, awarded $175,000 under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to KSE, Inc. of Sunderland, Massachusetts. The award will support KSE's efforts to develop and scale an integrated process for converting lignocellulosic waste streams into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) at high selectivity without pre-treatment of biomass compounds. Key activities include improving reactive...

Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc. was awarded a $274,927 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program to develop a novel natural herbicide platform for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds. Through this award, Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions will conduct greenhouse validation testing of natural plant extract formulations to identify effective and environmentally-safe herbicide treatments for inhibiting or preventing the growth of...

This $270,128 SBIR Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) supports the development of a low-cost, field-use DNA-based rapid diagnostic device for detecting plant diseases. The project aims to create a user-friendly, battery-operated testing kit that allows farmers to quickly identify diseases like citrus greening in their fields, enabling early intervention and more sustainable farming practices. The 9-month...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) provides $274,999 to Robigo, Inc. for research under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). The award will support development of a microbial biopesticide platform to precisely target and eliminate crop pathogens without harming beneficial microbes, pollinators, or humans. Leveraging synthetic biology, CRISPR, and data science, the company aims to engineer improvements increasing efficacy and viability...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) provides $275,000 in funding to Myconaut LLC to develop a scalable biological remediation method that uses synergistic interactions between fungi and plants to degrade and remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated environments. The project aims to expand the understanding of fungal degradation of PFAS, evaluate the...

Federal Grant Award Summary Pntbiologicals, LLC received a $174,999 Phase I Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212), awarded on September 15, 2025. The funding supports the development of biofungicide products derived from naturally occurring bacteria that promote plant growth, fix atmospheric nitrogen, and protect crops against soil-borne diseases. The...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Cooperative Agreement award to Silvec Biologics Inc. provides $994,939 in funding to develop novel RNA therapies to immunize grapevines, citrus trees, and other agricultural crops against deadly bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The key objectives are to: (1) optimize small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) against the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium that causes olive quick decline syndrome, Pierce's disease in grapes,...

Integrated Lipid Biofuels LLC was awarded a $650,000 Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The two-year award will support the company's efforts to develop a process for converting organic waste into biopolymers by synergizing anaerobic digestion and synthetic biology techniques. The SBIR Program aims to stimulate technological innovation through the investment of federal...