Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
July 18, 2023
Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on providing natural and sustainable herbicide solutions, was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) that will fund research using its bioherbicide formulations derived from natural plant extracts to control weeds resistant to synthetic herbicides.
The NSF grant totaling $275,000 was awarded to Harpe BioHerbicides as a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project titled, "Safe control of herbicide-resistant weeds with a novel natural bioherbicide platform." Harpe's portfolio of products, which features new sites and modes of action, offer wide-spectrum control of broadleaf and grass seeds or weeds.
A Harpe Bioherbicide award abstract posted on the NSF website states (Award History Details | NSF SBIR), "Widespread adoption of the proposed technology is expected to benefit farmers and crop producers reducing societal strain, financial burden, and environmental stress from crop losses due to herbicide resistant weeds by eliminating these weeds through an environmentally safe method, without the use of excess fuel, time, equipment, and synthetic herbicides."
"We take great pride in funding deep-technology startups that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships.
Dr. Chad Brommer, Harpe Bioherbicide co-founder and Chief Technology Officer who is principal investigator on the SBIR Phase 1 project, said, "Harpe Bioherbicide was created to support farmers on a global scale by developing novel and natural herbicide solutions to help mitigate increasing weed resistance challenges while seeking to advance sustainable practices in global food production."
NSF is an independent federal agency that funds researchers who generate new knowledge and discoveries that provide a greater understanding of the world. Situated at the intersection of all science and engineering disciplines, NSF is uniquely positioned to identify and guide investments toward new, cutting-edge research areas.
About Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions
Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc. is an ag tech company focused on providing natural and sustainable herbicide solutions to expand and provide new opportunities for organic agriculture while reducing, replacing, and synergizing with synthetic chemical use in row and specialty crop, commercial and consumer markets. The result will support farmers' success by overcoming current weed-control challenges and provide new sustainable farming practices to advance our food supply while improving the environment by decreasing the need for synthetic chemistry products. Learn more at www.harpebio.com.
About the U.S. National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs
NSF awards more than $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 $2 million to support research and development, helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America's Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
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