America’s Seed Fund Powered by NSF Provides Funding for R&D; Helps small businesses move innovations out of the lab and into the market
Miami, FL, May 27, 2019 – NanoSUR LLC has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $745,200 to commercialize innovative technology by conducting research and development (R&D) work on safe and sustainable pesticides efficacious over a wide arrange of pests affecting crops.
NanoSUR develops and commercializes non-GMO, RNA-based technology that will allow for a more affordable and environmentally benign crop production. Its products will help farmers all over the world produce abundant, safe foods that will improve people’s quality of life and health while protecting beneficial insects and biodiversity.
“The National Science Foundation supports startups and small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Graciela Narcho, Acting Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “We hope that seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.”
“Our materials are able to unlock the large crop protection potential of Nobel-Prize winning technology RNA interference”, said Juan Arhancet, CEO of NanoSUR. “NSF’s funding will enable us to optimize and scale up NanoSUR proprietary materials and focus on large impact crop pests.”
Small businesses can receive up to $1.5 million in funding from NSF. Companies must first have received a Phase I award (up to $225,000) to become eligible to apply for a Phase II grant (up to $750,000) to further develop and commercialize the technology. Small businesses with Phase II grants are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.
Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential across almost all areas of technology are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. NSF’s deadlines for Phase I small business proposals occur twice annually, in June and December.
To learn more about the NSF SBIR/STTR program, visit: seedfund.nsf.gov.
About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards nearly $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $1.5 million in non-dilutive funds to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.4 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.