I-Corps: Microbial technologies for crops

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is the development of a groundbreaking technology that uses microbiologicals to increase crop yield while reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. By reducing the environmental impact of fertilizers, this technology has the potential to revolutionize sustainable agriculture and improve human health. The technology seeks to address the global need for more food to be grown with fewer resources, lower costs, and fewer environmental impacts. The goal of the project is to meet this need through entrepreneurial training to determine customer demand for the technology. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a microbiological technology that can be applied to soil during planting to promote plant growth while reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. The microbiological technology seeks to overcome functional problems that plague the crop probiotic industry, and its innovation is expected to consistently increase crop yield while offsetting the monetary and environmental costs of synthetic fertilizers. This technology could be used to improve human health through the reduction of ecosystem, waterway, and air pollution caused by synthetic fertilizers. By creating high-paying jobs and fostering a more educated workforce, the technology is expected to spur innovation and solve more problems in the field. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.