Project Grant 20266701846685
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Connecticut $300,000 on February 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310) to scale a kyphosus fish-derived microbiome for seaweed digestion in arrested anaerobic digestion (AAD) systems. The project aims to stabilize the microbiome in benchtop AAD systems and integrate advanced sensor-based monitoring systems to optimize the digestion process, with three key...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Connecticut $292,500 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on August 15, 2026. The project will use artificial intelligence to identify promising biosurfactant candidates that can enhance the performance of sanitizers used in food processing, then validate the most effective compounds through laboratory testing on stainless steel surfaces. Biosurfactants are naturally...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Purdue University $299,836 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on February 15, 2026. The award funds development of a next-generation prebiotic derived from agricultural waste streams, designed to selectively promote growth of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in the human gut. The research encompasses food-grade isolation protocols to extract the prebiotic from waste feedstock, chemical...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Connecticut $300,000 on May 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310) to improve microgreens food safety through integrated research and extension. The recipient will conduct on-farm research with microgreens growers in Connecticut and West Virginia to assess current growing, harvesting, and handling practices and test for harmful bacterial contamination. Based...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Connecticut received a $650,000 Project Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program (CFDA 10.310), awarded September 1, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2029. The project, performed at the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus, develops evidence-based, multi-stage recommendations for small broiler poultry...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography $180,000 on May 15, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program to fund predoctoral fellowship research on seaweed mariculture and bacterial pathology. The research examines how marine bacterial pathogens detoxify phlorotannins, secondary metabolites produced by brown seaweed as a...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station $728,000 on June 15, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310) to develop nanotechnology-based solutions for fire blight disease control in apple and pear trees. The project develops nanocarrier systems—nanoclay or nanosilica loaded with antibacterial essential oils—as alternatives to antibiotic spraying, which faces resistance...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Connecticut $273,000 on February 15, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop and test a light-spectrum-optimizing paint formulation for greenhouse microgreens production. The research addresses affordability barriers in controlled-environment agriculture by using carbon dots—engineered nanomaterials that convert light wavelengths—mixed into paint applied...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded a $627,220 Project Grant to the University of Connecticut on September 30, 2025, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), CFDA 10.310, to support a four-year clinical research study through September 29, 2029. The primary deliverable is a 12-month, double-blind, randomized controlled trial investigating blackcurrant supplementation effects on gut microbiota composition and bone density...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded North Carolina State University $641,000 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on February 15, 2026, to investigate the interplay between nutrition and gut health in swine, with particular focus on prebiotic fiber's role in intestinal barrier function during critical early-life periods. The research examines mechanisms driving intestinal health outcomes in suckling and weanling pigs in response...
The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Connecticut $799,891 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on August 15, 2026. The recipient will develop sustainable technologies to produce prebiotic ingredients from seaweed and combine them with probiotics to create advanced functional food ingredients. Deliverables include an energy-efficient microwave-based process to consistently produce prebiotics from seaweed, evaluation of a non-traditional sterilization method that improves food safety while preserving quality and health benefits, development of natural biodegradable microcapsules that protect prebiotics and probiotics and release them at the desired location in the digestive tract, and evaluation of the performance and health benefits of the delivery system using laboratory models simulating human digestion and animal studies. Work is performed at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, with a period of performance through August 14, 2029. The AFRI program supports research, education, and extension activities across six farm bill priority areas including food safety, nutrition, and health. This award is classified as a Project Grant, a standard assistance type under AFRI.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $799.9k | 8/13/26 |