Project Grant 2036455

This USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I project grant, with award ID 20243353043006, aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility of commercializing an innovative photochemical water treatment technology. The $175,000 grant, awarded on August 1, 2024, will support the development of a UV-based system to destruct per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater and recycled wastewater for agricultural...

The U.S. 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) has awarded a $174,998 Project Grant to Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc. (ACT) to develop a new high-throughput low-temperature plasma (LTP) system. The system will generate plasma-activated water (PAW) to address food safety in industrial food processing facilities. Compared to current...

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...

This $270,128 SBIR Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) supports the development of a low-cost, field-use DNA-based rapid diagnostic device for detecting plant diseases. The project aims to create a user-friendly, battery-operated testing kit that allows farmers to quickly identify diseases like citrus greening in their fields, enabling early intervention and more sustainable farming practices. The 9-month...

En Solucion Inc., an Austin-based startup, received a $295,922 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103) to develop an innovative continuous sanitization system for fresh produce harvesting equipment. The project aims to address recent foodborne illness outbreaks linked to contaminated field harvesting equipment by utilizing ozone nanobubbles to neutralize pathogens and biofilms on key...

This $174,954 Project Grant awarded on July 1, 2024 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212) supports Qualterra, Inc. (doing business as Nuphy Plants) in developing an innovative virus cleaning platform service to address the escalating threat of plant viral infections in high-value perennial food crops such as apples, cherries, pears, hops, and grapes. The project aims to rigorously test and identify the most effective...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $983,776 Cooperative Agreement to Optical Waters, Inc. through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to scale and optimize manufacturing methods for Germicidal Optical Fibers (GOFs). GOFs are a novel fiber technology that can distribute ultraviolet (UV)-C radiation along their entire length to reduce infections, deaths, and operational issues caused by bacteria build-up in pipes, tubes, and channels found in hospitals, homes, and...

This $294,885 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant was awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) to Cosmic Eats, Inc., a minority-owned small business located in Cary, North Carolina. The project aims to develop a more efficient and sustainable method for producing mushrooms by implementing a novel plasma-treated water sterilization technology. This innovative approach seeks to reduce labor, water, and...

This Project Grant award of $649,655 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture was made to Root Applied Sciences Inc., a small disadvantaged, woman-owned business, under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212). The funding supports the development of an automated system to simultaneously monitor airborne fungal pathogens, such as grapevine powdery mildew, and insect pests, like vine mealybug, in vineyards. By providing...

This Project Grant award of $799,997.00 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, CFDA 10.310, aims to develop improved laboratory tests for detecting infectious viruses on produce like raspberries and lettuce. The key objectives are: 1) Improving a currently used commercial test by adding a biological step to distinguish infectious from non-infectious virus; 2) Testing whether a commercial machine can destroy viruses on produce...