SBIR/STTR Topic Areas

National Program Leader: Dr. Diomides “Diomy” Zamora

The Forests and Related Resources topic area aims to address the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations through the development of environmentally sound approaches to increase productivity of forest lands, improve sustainability of forest resources, and develop value-added materials derived from woody resources.

New technologies are needed to enhance the protection of the nation’s forested lands and forest resources and to help ensure the continued existence of healthy and productive forest ecosystems. Proposals focused on sustainable bioenergy and development of value-added biofuels from woody biomass and on the influence of climate change on forest health and productivity are encouraged. Proposals that utilize nanotechnology in their approach to developing new wood-based products or that utilize wood- based nanomaterials are also encouraged.

To meet the identified needs in forestry and wood utilization, the program’s long-term goals (10 years) are to achieve:

• increased utilization of woody resources for value-added products from wood
• healthy and sustainable forest ecosystems that are more resistant, resilient, and responsive to wildfires, the impact of pathogens and insects, and other disturbance events associated with climate change
• improved environmental and economic methods of sustainable harvesting
• improved growth and yield of forest species that will lead to more efficient use of forested lands.

National Program Leader: Dr. Christopher Philips

The Plant Production and Protection (Biology) topic area will support research to examine novel ways of enhancing crop production and protection by developing:

• new methods for plant improvement and pest management
• new food and non-food crop plants through plant breeding
• diagnostic technologies for plant diseases
• plant characteristics that reduce the harmful impact of plant pests, biotic, and abiotic stresses
• new genotypes of existing crop plants with characteristics that allow for their use in new commercial applications
• tools that address the health and success of domesticated and natural pollinators.

National Program Leader: Dr. Robert Smith or Kathe Bjork

Protein and other nutrients from animal sources are an important component of diets worldwide. Agricultural animals also provide skins, fiber, feathers, and other products with economic importance. There is a growing need for these products as the global population expands and demand becomes higher. Fulfilling this need will require new technologies to improve both productivity and efficiency of food animals.

The Animal Production and Protection topic area aims to support the development of innovative, marketable technologies that will provide significant benefit to the production and protection of agricultural animals. New technologies for rapid detection, point-of-care, treatment, and prevention of disease are needed to improve productivity and enhance the biosecurity of our herds and flocks. Better technologies are also needed to develop and enhance alternatives to the use of antibiotics since pathogen resistance and human sensitivity to residue food products derived from animals have become of increasing concern. There is also an urgent need for technologies that decrease the impact of animal agriculture on the environment and optimize use of our natural resources, especially those that address carbon sequestration processes and provide an outlet for manure.

Technological advances in animal production and protection will not only enhance the safety of the nation’s food supply and contribute to environmental stewardship, but they will also allow American producers to remain competitive in the global marketplace and contribute to global food security.

National Program Leader: Dr. Sandeep Kumar

The goal of the Conservation of Natural Resources topic area is to commercialize innovative technologies that are developed with the purpose to conserve, monitor, improve, and/or protect the quality and/or quantity of natural resources and reduce potential waste streams while sustaining climate-smart, optimal farm and forest productivity and profitability.

The objective of this topic area is the conservation of soil, water, air, and other natural resources on landscapes that produce agricultural, natural, and forest/rangeland goods and services. New technologies and innovations applying circular agriculture principles that will make use of waste or byproducts, help improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, improve water and air quality, improve nutrient management, and conserve and use water more effectively are encouraged.

National Program Leader: Dr. Jodi Williams

The Food Science and Nutrition topic area aims to fund projects that support research focusing on developing new and improved processes, technologies, products, or services that address emerging food safety, food processing, and nutrition issues.

The program will fund projects to:

• increase the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of food
• improve methods for the processing and packaging of food products to improve the quality, safety and nutritional value of foods, and to reduce food waste
• develop technologies for rapid, sensitive, reliable and robust detection of pathogens and chemical hazardous materials in foods
• develop programs or products that encourage the consumption of healthy foods and reduce diet related chronic diseases, or alleviate urban and rural food deserts
• develop products to drive climate-smart food systems to ensure safe, accessible and nutritious food supply

The outcome of a successful project is a proof of concept for a marketable product or patented process.

The long-term goals (10 years) of the program are to:

• commercialize the production of novel food products, processes, materials, and systems that reduce foodborne illness
• reduce the food industry’s carbon footprints
• improve nutrition and health
• enhance the nutritional quality and value of foods
• bridge socioeconomic gaps to increase the accessibility of healthy, sustainably produced foods.

National Program Leader: Dr. Keith Harris

The objective of the Rural and Community Development topic area is to improve the quality of life in rural America by creating and commercializing technologies that address important economic and social development issues or challenges in rural America.

Projects must explicitly discuss the specific rural problem or opportunity that will be examined and how the proposed science-based technology will successfully address the problem or opportunity. Applications must also include an objective to assess the impacts of the proposed project on protecting or enhancing the environment, on climate mitigation or adaptation, or the socio-economic development of rural areas. The applications need not be centered on agriculture but may be focused on any area that has the potential to provide significant benefit to rural Americans.

USDA seeks a balanced portfolio that appropriately mixes high risk, high reward innovations with new applications of existing technologies.

National Program Leader: Dr. Timothy Sullivan

The Aquaculture topic area funds research projects with the overall goal of leading to improved production efficiency and increased competitiveness of private sector, commercial aquaculture in the United States. This topic area aims to develop new technologies that will enhance the knowledge and technology base necessary for the expansion of the domestic aquaculture industry.

Aquaculture increasingly is an important source of healthy animal protein and a valuable contributor to national and regional food security. Studies on commercially important species of finfish, shellfish, crustaceans, reptiles (i.e., farmed alligators), and aquatic plants (e.g., seaweeds, sea grasses, and macroalgae) from both freshwater and marine environments are included. In this context, new technologies are needed to improve production efficiency, protect aquaculture species against disease, and ensure the quality of aquatic products.

National Program Leader: Dr. David Songstad

The objective of the Biofuels and Biobased Products topic area is to promote the use of non-food biobased products and biofuels by developing new or improved technologies that will lead to increased competitiveness of value-added products from agricultural materials. This research will lead to new opportunities to diversify agriculture and enhance agriculture’s role as a reliable supplier of raw materials to industry.

Historically, appropriate research areas have included:

• development of improved technology for converting agriculturally derived raw materials into useful industrial products
• development of new products from new industrial crops
• improving the effectiveness or cost-competitiveness of industrial products derived from agricultural materials in comparison to non-agriculturally derived products.

National Program Leader: Dr. Denis Ebodaghe

The Small and Mid-Size Farms topic area aims to promote and improve the sustainability and profitability of small and mid-size farms and ranches (where annual sales of agricultural products are less than $350,000 for small farms and between $350,000 and $999,999 for mid-size farms – hereafter referred to as small farms).

Small farms account for 90 percent of all U.S. farms and they play an important role in the agricultural sector. The viability and sustainability of small farms is important to the nation’s economy and to the stewardship of our biological and natural resources. While some small farms are located in urban areas, most small farms are located in rural areas, and these farms are critical to sustaining and strengthening the leadership and social fabric of rural communities.

Applicants should emphasize how their project would contribute to the well-being of rural communities and institutions. In particular, applicants should emphasize how the results of their project would be disseminated to other small farmers and provide benefit to the small farm community.

National Program Leader: Dr. Victoria Finkenstadt or Dr. Steven Thomson

The objective of the Plant Production and Protection (Engineering) topic area is to enhance crop production in both conventional and organic systems by creating and commercializing engineering technologies that enhance system efficiency and profitability and that protect crops from pests and pathogens in economically and environmentally sound ways.

Engineering projects must describe:

• the system need
• design specifications, functionality, and reliability
• cost benefit analysis

Where feasible, projects should describe the testing metrics, experimental design, and materials and methods to collect and analyze data on the metrics. Projects must create solutions that are scalable to address problems in commercial agriculture.

Applications should focus on engineering solutions that directly improve crop production and protection. Applications proposing topics outside of crop production and protection should contact the NPL to ensure that the project is a fit in the program area. Applications for the Phase I program must address early stage, proof of concept research as is specified in this RFA. Adaptation of existing technologies to new crops, regions, pest, etc. must require significant innovation as to fit the proof-of-concept nature of the Phase I program.