Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 76 small businesses around the country will receive $7.4 million in grants to conduct research related to food security, natural resources and agricultural issues. The grants are made through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a competitive funding source that is coordinated by the Small Business Administration and administered by 11 federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to encourage domestic small businesses to engage in high-growth research and development that has the potential for commercialization and could lead to significant public benefit.
