Project Grant 20173361026969

This $300,000 award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) will fund the development and field testing of elite poplar tree varieties with reduced lignin content for more sustainable and efficient wood fiber production. The project aims to establish a short-rotation agroforestry system utilizing these genetically engineered poplar trees with enhanced traits for increased pulp yield and reduced carbon...

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...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) provides $275,000 to Shroom-E Co., LLC to develop a prototype system for improved production of specialty cultivated mushrooms (SCM). The proposed system aims to automate and streamline the SCM fruiting block production process, reducing labor, energy, and contamination risks compared to conventional methods. The...

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Washington State University a $649,748 project grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program (CFDA 10.310). The four-year project will develop a process to convert agricultural waste fibers from crop stalks and hulls/husks into decorative composite panels using a modified vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding technique. Washington State University researchers aim to establish...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded Formology, Inc. a $599,005 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program grant to continue developing and commercializing a line of innovative, highly sustainable panels made from agricultural and other industrial byproducts. The goal is to provide the architecture and design industry with an attractive, durable, and eco-friendly material option for use in a variety of interior and exterior...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program provides $275,000 to All-In Peppers And Specialty Produce LLC to develop an indoor method for consistently producing high-quality morel mushroom fruiting bodies. The project aims to create disability-friendly food production equipment to grow these highly nutritious mushrooms, which have a limited supply due to the labor-intensive and destructive nature of foraging...

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...

This three-year, $600,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at the University of California, Davis to develop a scalable and sustainable process for nano-cellulose production by leveraging the surface activity of hydrophobin bio-surfactants. The goal is to improve the rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose for conversion into nano-cellulose and value-added fuels and chemicals. Researchers will examine how...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award for $294,885 aims to develop a more efficient and sustainable process for producing mushrooms. The project seeks to implement a novel plasma-treated water sterilization method that can reduce labor, water, and energy usage while enhancing product quality and extending shelf life for mushroom growers. The project, awarded to Cosmic Eats, Inc., a minority-owned small business in...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $274,956 to Gulf Spore LLC (doing business as Chitovate) provides funding to develop an edible mushroom-derived chitosan coating to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. The project aims to create a sustainable, antimicrobial, and gas barrier coating alternative to reduce the $1 trillion in annual global food waste. Key objectives include demonstrating the...