Foresight’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Satya Chinta, has been given an honorary invitation to present Foresight’s work on Fire Ants (recently published on Nature-communications biology) at the National Conference on Urban Entomology & Invasive Pest Ant Conference which will be held during May 15-18, 2022 in Salt Lake City, UT.
Tag: RIFA
Foresight Receives USDA SBIR Phase I Award to Research Novel Peptides for Controlling Invasive Ants
Foresight Science & Technology, Inc. (Foresight) has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a control method for imported fire ants using novel bioactive peptides. The ultimate objective of this research is to develop an effective, environmentally neutral bait formulation for bait stations, targeted primarily for household and small garden applications.
The peptides are covered in US Patent 9,771,393 B2. Bioactive Peptides Having Insecticide Activity, Choi and Vander Meer, issued Sep. 26, 2017; US Patent 10,017,538. Bioactive Peptides Having Insecticide Activity, Choi and Vander Meer, issued Jul. 10, 2018; and PCT WO 2016/0262388 A1 and WO 2018/0086790 A1. The research will be performed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service.
Learn more about the project here or contact us for information about partnering to commercialize this technology.
Foresight Awarded NSF SBIR Grant to Research Taste Masking Agent
Foresight Science & Technology, Inc. (Foresight) has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant as part of a cooperative research development agreement (CRADA) with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, to conduct research and development (R&D) on an environmentally neutral product for control of red imported fire ants (RIFA). This project intends to establish a proof of concept for the use of taste masking agents that are already used in human and animal medications to mask the negative taste of an effective active ingredient for use in a pest ant bait station. The commercial impacts of the proposed activity will be to provide consumers and gardeners an effective, affordable, and environmentally responsible treatment for controlling RIFA as an alternative to existing chemical pesticides. The addressable market for the product is households and professional pest control service companies in the 14 infested states that currently use chemical pesticides to control RIFA, and additional households and service companies that would use bait stations if an organic solution was available.
“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,”
“Foresight appreciates the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. As a long-time provider of commercialization services to SBIR funded companies, we recognize the importance of small businesses and their entrepreneurial efforts to bring innovative and important products and services to the marketplace. With funding from the NSF SBIR, Foresight is excited to be one of those small businesses.”
About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Programs: NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, awards $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 $1.75 million to support R&D, helping de-risk technology for commercial success. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.1 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about the program, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/
For further information about this project, please contact Dan Satinsky, daniel.satinsky@