The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) issued its FY-2016 SBIR solicitation on July 2 with a closing date of October 8, 2015. The USDA's priority areas are:
- Agriculturally-related Manufacturing Technology
- Energy Efficiency and Alternative and Renewable Energy
USDA's SBIR topic areas are:
- Forests and Related Resources
- Plant Production and Protection – Biology
- Animal Production and Protection
- Air, Water and Soils
- Food Science and Nutrition
- Rural and Community Development
- Aquaculture
- Biofuels and Biobased Products
- Small and Mid-Size Farms
- Plant Production and Protection – Engineering
The NIFA National Challenge Areas are:
- Food Security
- Climate Variability and Change
- Bioenergy
- Childhood Obesity
- Food Safety
- Water