Project Grant 1913245

This three-year, $714,447 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund the development of RNA interference (RNAi)-based sprayable formulations and baits for insect pest management. The grantee, Kansas State University, will work to overcome major challenges to widespread application of small interfering RNA (siRNA) for insect pest control by...

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...

Nanosur LLC, a minority-owned biotechnology company, received a $649,999 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program to develop RNA interference (RNAi)-based insecticides for controlling invasive insect pests in agriculture and forests. The grant, awarded on September 1, 2023, supports Nanosur's work to create selective,...

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Competitive Grants Program (CFDA 10.329), will fund research to develop yeast-based RNA interference (RNAi) pesticides targeting the invasive spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) pest. The $325,000 award to Michigan State University aims to create a new class of stakeholder-accepted, species-specific insecticides that can be deployed as baits or...

Silvec Biologics Inc. received a $650,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.212 - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program) to develop RNA interference (RNAi) technologies for controlling fungal diseases in agricultural crops. The company is leveraging its proprietary internally-delivered virus-like RNA (iRNA) vector system to generate small interfering RNAs...

This Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program (CFDA 10.212), supports the development of Lepidext, Inc.'s novel biological pest control solution, InsterushZ. The $650,000 grant, awarded on Sep 1, 2024, aims to increase the production and deployment of InsterushZ, a sexually transmitted virus that can suppress...

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,...

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded North Carolina State University a $300,000 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program. The three-year grant will fund research and outreach to develop a sustainable pest management program for the western flower thrips (WFT), a major pest of tomatoes and peppers in the Southeastern U.S. that has developed resistance to insecticides. Specifically, the university will work to...

Novoclade, Inc. received a $181,500 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The funding supports the development of an innovative insect control method using genetically engineered sterile male Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) flies. Novoclade's approach aims to simplify the implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for SWD, a major agricultural pest causing an...

This federal Project Grant award, provided through the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (CFDA 10.219) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA), focuses on researching the dispersal characteristics of genetically engineered (GE) sterile male Spotted-Wing Drosophila (SWD) flies. The $649,809 award to Oregon State University aims to investigate the scale and dynamics of PGSIT-SWD dispersal, comparing the...