By Lynn L. Bergeson

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced recently a new program that directs USDA to partner with at least one qualified institution to support the scale-up of sustainable bioproduct manufacturing. Up to $5 million is available for each of the fiscal years (FY) 2022 and 2023. NIFA will work in collaboration with USDA Rural Development’s BioPreferred program to seek research proposals that explore the benefits of bioproducts in relation to:

• “Cost savings relative to other commonly used alternative materials;

• Greenhouse gas emission reductions and other environmental benefits relative to their commonly used alternative materials;

• Lifecycle and longevity-extending characteristics relative to other commonly used alternative materials;

• Lifecycle and longevity-reducing characteristics relative to other commonly used alternative materials;

• Landfill quantity and waste management cost reductions;

• Product development and production scale-up; and

• Any other benefits that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.”

Information on how to apply for the Bioproduct Pilot Program is available here, and NIFA will hold a webinar on July 14, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. (EDT) to discuss the program and answer questions. Registration for the webinar is required.