The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded over $16 million in grants as part of Phase II of the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The program is intended to use scientific discovery to develop new products and services that have commercial potential and provide societal benefits. A total of 29 projects have been approved for Phase II grant funding.
There are a wide variety of projects planned for Phase II with five selections made here in California. Some of the California projects include the development of a tomato variety with durable resistance to bacterial spot, shielding spruce, and Douglas fir trees from bark beetle attack, and a biobased production method for insect pheromones using transgenic plants. A full list of grant recipients is available on the USDA-NIFA website.
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