Project Grant 20193361029786

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $120,000 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University from July 2021 through June 2023. The grant funds research to investigate embryonic losses occurring during blastocyst hatching and embryo elongation in cattle, which can significantly impact the cattle industry. The principal investigator will...

The University of Illinois received a $4.93 million Project Grant awarded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). The award, effective August 15, 2025, with a completion date of July 31, 2029, supports development and validation of Multiplexed Optical Metabolic Imaging (MOMI) technology to improve in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates in assisted reproductive technology...

The University of Missouri received a two-year, $120,000 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program (CFDA 10.310). The grant funding will support research investigating the supplementation of a fibroblast growth factor 2, leukemia inhibitory factor, and insulin-like growth factor 1 molecule cocktail (FLI) to the in vitro bovine embryo culture...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award of $275,000 to Zealous Research LLC is part of the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program. The project aims to develop a single-chip microfluidic platform to automate and optimize in vitro fertilization (IVF) processes, including sperm selection, sperm capacitation, and egg fertilization. The goal is to create a user-friendly, affordable, and high-throughput platform that can increase IVF success rates and...

Federal Project Grant Summary Texas A&M Agrilife Research received a $650,000 project grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), awarded February 1, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2029. The research project addresses embryonic mortality in cattle—a significant economic challenge affecting the livestock industry—by investigating how male and female genetics contribute...

Federal Grant Award Summary Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs received a $300,000 project grant from the USDA's Institute of Food Production and Sustainability under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective March 1, 2026 through February 29, 2028. The award supports fundamental research into early cattle embryo development, specifically investigating the role of the maternal enzyme MOF (Males Absent On the First) and its epigenetic...

Federal Grant Award Summary Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) received a $225,000 project grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2027. The research will be conducted at Virginia Tech's Blacksburg, Virginia campus and focuses on improving in vitro embryo production (IVP) technologies in cattle...

Federal Grant Award Summary Membrane Protective Technologies, Inc. received a $181,500 Phase I Project Grant award from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212), effective August 15, 2025, with a completion date of April 14, 2026. The award supports development of plant-based semen extenders for bull sperm cryopreservation to replace traditional animal-derived products such as egg yolk and whole milk. The...

Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Tennessee's UT AG Research Division received a $650,000 project grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2030. The research initiative addresses the critical challenge of low survival rates in in vitro produced (IVP) cattle embryos, which currently experience less than 50% survival through the...

Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Florida, Division of Sponsored Research, received a $615,000 Project Grant awarded February 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program (CFDA 10.310), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The three-year project, concluding January 31, 2029, will be conducted in Gainesville, Florida. The research project addresses fertility...