Technology
Grants
Innovate Animal Ag’s Technology Grants support the most promising new technologies in animal agriculture. We fund technologies in every stage of the innovation pipeline — from initial R&D, to commercial validation, to scale up. Our goal is to ensure that no new technology is left in the ‘valley of death’ between academic discovery or entrepreneurial innovation and commercial adoption.
To support this holistic approach to technological development, we take an active approach to grantmaking and grant management: For each technology we support, we stay involved at every stage of development until the technology has reached its full potential. Grantees also gain access to Innovate Animal Ag’s expertise and vast network across animal agriculture and Silicon Valley.
Apply here
We fund solutions to major producer challenges, especially those around animal health and welfare, with a compelling business case (i.e., clear ROI, path to adoption, and operational fit). We’re open to any kind of solution — hardware, software, biologic, on-farm practice, new business model, or something else entirely — even unconventional ones, as long as it solves a real, scalable producer need.
While poultry is a focus, we welcome pitches across animal agriculture, including swine, cattle, dairy, aquaculture, and beyond. We are stage-agnostic and happy to support a wide range of organization types — academics, startups, established companies, R&D labs, budding entrepreneurs, etc. Whether you’re at proof-of-concept or ready to scale, we want to hear from you. In addition to non-dilutive grants, we can consider for-profit investment for technologies at the right stage of development.
Previous Grants
Electron-beam inactivated bacterial vaccines
For many years, antibiotics played a crucial role for animal health in the poultry industry. However, in 2012 the FDA issued new guidance restricting the use of antibiotics in livestock production. Over the subsequent decade, antibiotic usage on farms decreased substantially and coinciding with this, all-cause-mortality increased from a low of 3.7% to almost 6%.
While a reduction in medically important antibiotics has been important to help stop the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, the new FDA guidance has left producers with fewer tools to protect birds against bacterial pathogens. E-beams offer a new path forward to improve bird health without antibiotics. E-beams inactivate bacteria through targeted destruction of only the DNA, leaving surface proteins intact. Compared to other chemical inactivation methods, e-beam inactivated vaccines have been shown to be much more effective in initial academic studies.
Dr. Alrubaye’s lab at the University of Arkansas has already shown remarkable early results in mitigating one of the primary bacterially-derived health issues for poultry: BCO lameness. Their e-beam inactivated Staphylococcus vaccine reduced BCO lameness by 50%. IAA’s initial grant supports this important research.
Looking ahead, the true potential of the technology lies in its ability to protect birds against the full range of negative health effects that are caused by bacterial pathogens. To support this work, Innovate Animal Ag is looking for commercial partners to run a large-scale commercial trial to assess the impact of e-beam vaccines on other broiler performance metrics such as feed conversion ratio and growth rate.
