The deadline to submit a proposal for the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s (AURI) Ag Innovation Partnership (AIP) is March 15, 2024. Entrepreneurs, businesses, researchers, agricultural producers, and more are encouraged to apply for AIP-funded proposals to generate new ideas, catalyze innovation, and support collaborative partnerships throughout Minnesota’s value-added agriculture industry.
AURI will consider proposals spanning the value-added agricultural sector; however, proposals addressing the following topic areas are of particular interest:
- Topic #1: Carbon Dioxide as an Asset
The purpose of this research is to identify, catalog, and evaluate the potential for CO2 utilization in Minnesota and surrounding states.
- Topic #2: Dewatering Technologies
The purpose of this research is to identify, catalog, and evaluate technologies to remove water from agricultural products and byproducts, providing efficiencies and cost-savings related to the transport and utilization of these products.
- Topic #3: Innovative Applications for Ag Processing Particulates
The purpose of this research is to identify, catalog, and evaluate technologies to add value to captured particulate emissions generated by the processing of agricultural products.
- Other:
AURI is also soliciting proposals for research that furthers its mission to add value to Minnesota’s agricultural products, improve efficiencies in the processing of Minnesota’s agricultural products, and close information gaps.
Past research through the program has produced applied research studies, as well as guides and tools to help businesses utilize the state’s agricultural products. The information generated through the AIP program is public domain and shared broadly with the intent of helping producers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and agricultural processors explore opportunities and technologies.
Submissions selected for the AIP program will receive cost-share funding from AURI. The information generated through the AIP-funded proposals will help entrepreneurs, businesses, and agricultural processors explore opportunities and technologies in the areas of bioindustrial products and food.
For more information on the AIP program, visit AURI’s website or contact AURI Senior Director of Business Development and Commercialization, Jennifer Wagner-Lahr, at jwagner@auri.org. AURI encourages partners to discuss initiative concepts with its staff prior to submission.
About AURI
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute is a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate the expansion of the agricultural economy by empowering expanded uses and markets of agriculturally derived products. It accomplishes this by using science and technology to help develop new uses for agricultural products. It collaborates globally, acts regionally, and is known as an economic catalyst for Minnesota with a focus on bio-industrial products and food. AURI provides a broad range of services, including applied research and development, scientific assistance, and a targeted network across the value chain to foster collaboration. To learn more, visit auri.org.