Project Grant 20246702242001
- Red Barn Robotics Incorporated received a $174,922 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 September 15, 2025, with completion targeted for May 14, 2027. The company is developing and testing a low-cost autonomous robotic weeding system designed to address weed management challenges faced by small and mid-sized organic and regenerative farms. The...
- The University of Delaware received a $718,000 project grant awarded April 15, 2026, through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Program (CFDA 10.310), administered by the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability. The three-year project (completion April 14, 2029) will develop a novel robotic system designed to mount on existing center pivot irrigation equipment and function as an automated field scout for corn crops. The robot will be equipped with advanced proximal...
- The National Science Foundation awarded Harvest Moon Automation Inc. a $250,665 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). The grant funds the development of a precision weeder extraction tool that will remove weeds from agricultural fields without using herbicides or soil tillage. Advances in machine vision have enabled identification of individual crop and weed plants in a field. However, existing automated weeders still rely on herbicides or...
- This Project Grant award of $1,000,000 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program aims to develop an automated pest management system for rural farms. The key products and services to be delivered include: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), machine learning, and affordable communication networks to reduce reliance on manual labor and outdated practices in pest management. This will enhance...
- Federal Grant Award Summary Purdue University received a $400,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.079) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. The award funds the development of an integrated robotic platform—designated AI-ENGAGE: DEVA (Disease Detection and Effective Control Using Versatile UAVs and UGVs)—that combines unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with advanced...
- Federal Grant Award Summary Oregon State University received a $200,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program (CFDA 10.329), awarded September 15, 2025, with a completion date of September 14, 2028. The project will develop an intelligent aerial-ground spot spraying system to address weed management challenges in turfgrass seed production within the Willamette...
- Federal Project Grant Award Summary Padma Agrobotics LLC received a $174,534 Phase I award under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212), administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based autonomous lettuce harvester incorporating computer vision and advanced AI modeling capabilities. The project, which commenced on August 15, 2025, and is scheduled for completion on April 14, 2026, focuses on...
- Global Neighbor, Inc. received a two-year, $650,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop an agricultural product that destroys weed seeds collected during harvest. The award falls under NIFA's Small Business Innovation Research Program, which supports technological innovation to strengthen the national economy. Specifically, the grant will fund the construction and field testing of a prototype designed in Phase I to...
- Federal Grant Award Summary Utah State University received a $586,000 Project Grant from the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310) for the period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2029. The project will develop and test an automated pest scouting system utilizing small aerial drones and ground-based robotic vehicles to collect close-up imagery within tree canopies across orchards. Computer vision tools will...
- Federal Grant Award Summary North Dakota State University received a $728,000 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 April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029. The project delivers a wearable plant sensor platform designed to detect stress-related gases released by plants in real time, addressing the current limitations of slow and labor-intensive plant health monitoring...
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING THE PRESSING NEED FOR MORE EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WEED CONTROL IN AGRICULTURE. LEVERAGING ADVANCED EDGE-AI TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE DEVELOPING A COOPERATIVE UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLE (UGV) SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH MULTIPLE TANKS FOR PRECISE TARGETED SPRAYING. BUILT UPON OUR NEWLY DESIGNED MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROBOTIC VEHICLE, THIS UGV EMPLOYS ONBOARD COMPUTER VISION TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY AND TREAT WEED PATCHES IN THE FIELD. OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF EXPERTS, INCLUDING A WEED SCIENTIST, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEER, AND AI SPECIALIST, COLLABORATES CLOSELY WITH LOCAL FARMERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO VALIDATE FIELD EXPERIMENTS. THROUGH THIS PRECISION AGRICULTURE RESEARCH, WE AIM TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT NOT ONLY THE NORTH DAKOTA FARMING INDUSTRY BUT ALSO AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES WORLDWIDE, PROVIDING FARMERS WITH SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT WEED MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT REDUCE HERBICIDE USAGE AND BENEFIT BOTH THEIR OPERATIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.THIS PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING THE PRESSING NEED FOR MORE EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WEED CONTROL IN AGRICULTURE. LEVERAGING ADVANCED EDGE-AI TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE DEVELOPING A COOPERATIVE UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLE (UGV) SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH MULTIPLE TANKS FOR PRECISE TARGETED SPRAYING. BUILT UPON OUR NEWLY DESIGNED MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROBOTIC VEHICLE, THIS UGV EMPLOYS ONBOARD COMPUTER VISION TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY AND TREAT WEED PATCHES IN THE FIELD. OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF EXPERTS, INCLUDING A WEED SCIENTIST, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEER, AND AI SPECIALIST, COLLABORATES CLOSELY WITH LOCAL FARMERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO VALIDATE FIELD EXPERIMENTS. THROUGH THIS PRECISION AGRICULTURE RESEARCH, WE AIM TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT NOT ONLY THE NORTH DAKOTA FARMING INDUSTRY BUT ALSO AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES WORLDWIDE, PROVIDING FARMERS WITH SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT WEED MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT REDUCE HERBICIDE USAGE AND BENEFIT BOTH THEIR OPERATIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $590.4k | 3/1/24 |