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"USDA NIFA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program for AI, Robotics and Precision Agriculture Technologies" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
USDA's SBIR and STTR programmes are administered exclusively by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and award grants across ten broad topic areas, several of which are the natural home for AI and robotics work in agriculture.
Phase I feasibility awards run to roughly 175,000 US dollars over about eight months; Phase II awards, available only to firms that completed a Phase I, run to roughly 650,000 dollars over about 24 months.
The AI-relevant proposal space includes computer vision for crop health and disease detection, autonomous and robotic harvesting and weeding equipment, AI-enabled livestock monitoring, sensor fusion and variable-rate application systems, yield prediction models, and machine learning applied to food safety and supply chain analytics.
Applicants should note that this SBIR programme is a separate instrument from USDA's AFRI research grants, which fund universities rather than companies, and from the NSF SBIR Agricultural Technologies topic, which has its own subtopic list, ownership rules and pitch-based intake.
A company can pursue both NSF and USDA SBIR but should not submit the same proposal to each without tailoring, because NIFA's review emphasises agricultural impact and alignment with USDA priorities such as productivity, food safety, natural resource management and rural economic development, while NSF's emphasises technical risk and broad commercial potential. NIFA advises prospective applicants to subscribe to Grants.
gov alerts under CFDA number 10. 212 to receive notice when each fiscal year's funding opportunity is posted, which is the most reliable way to catch the deadline.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligibility is limited to qualified US small businesses, consistent with federal SBIR rules: fewer than 500 employees, majority US ownership, and work performed in the United States. Phase II applications are accepted only from small businesses that have successfully completed a USDA Phase I project, so there is no direct entry at the Phase II level. Proposals must fall within one of NIFA's ten broad SBIR topic areas, and applicants working on AI, robotics or precision agriculture should read the current SBIR/STTR topic area descriptions to identify the correct topic before writing, since topic fit is a common cause of administrative rejection. Review emphasises agricultural and rural impact alongside technical merit and commercial potential, which means a proposal should name the grower problem, the scale of the affected acreage or herd, and the adoption path, not only the model architecture. Award amounts are approximately 175,000 dollars for Phase I over roughly eight months and approximately 650,000 dollars for Phase II over roughly 24 months, though the exact ceilings change between fiscal years and must be confirmed in the current notice of funding opportunity. The Phase I deadline for the most recent cycle fell in mid-July 2026. NIFA recommends creating a free Grants.gov account and entering CFDA 10.212 to subscribe to funding opportunity notices for the next cycle. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows USDA NIFA SBIR awards run in two phases: Phase I feasibility awards of approximately 175,000 US dollars for a project period of around eight months, and Phase II awards of approximately 650,000 dollars over roughly 24 months, so amount_min is 175,000 and amount_max is 650,000. Reported figures for the current cycle vary slightly between sources, with Phase II cited at both 600,000 and 650,000 dollars, and NIFA has raised the Phase I ceiling more than once in recent years, so applicants must confirm the exact ceiling in the fiscal year NOFO on Grants.gov rather than relying on secondary summaries including this one. The structural point is that Phase I is deliberately small and short: it buys a feasibility answer, not a product. Companies with a working prototype and customers are usually better served waiting for a Phase II-eligible position, since Phase II is closed to firms that have not completed a Phase I with USDA. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was July 15, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
USDA NIFA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program for AI, Robotics and Precision Agriculture Technologies is funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
USDA NIFA AFRI Education and Workforce Development is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This program supports projects that strengthen the pipeline of future professionals in the food and agricultural sciences, with a focus on education, training, and workforce capacity building across the United States.
Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). GusNIP funds projects administered by government agencies and non-profit organizations to increase fruit and vegetable purchases among SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase. Projects aim to increase accessibility and affordability of fruits and vegetables.
The NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program (NSF 25-543) supports foundational computing research and education with a strong emphasis on AI and machine learning. The program funds research that advances the foundations of computing including AI/ML theory, algorithms, systems, and applications. Future CoRe supports small to medium-sized research projects that can have significant impact on computing foundations. The program has target dates of February 5, 2026 and September 10, 2026 for proposal submissions (note: these are target dates, not deadlines, meaning proposals may be submitted at any time but will be reviewed in batches around these dates). Investigators may not serve as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on more than two proposals submitted within any consecutive 12-month period across all Future CoRe programs. This is one of NSF's primary mechanisms for funding fundamental AI and machine learning research at U.S. academic institutions, covering areas such as machine learning theory, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics foundations, and human-AI interaction.
The ONR Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (N00014-25-S-B001) is the Office of Naval Research's primary mechanism for soliciting research proposals across all naval science and technology priority areas. The BAA accepts proposals on a rolling basis through September 30, 2026 and covers ONR's full spectrum of research interests with particular emphasis on AI-related topics including autonomous maritime systems, human-machine teaming, machine learning for sensor fusion, cooperative autonomous swarm technology, undersea autonomy, and AI-enabled decision superiority. Proposals can be funded through multiple mechanisms including individual investigator grants, the Young Investigator Program (~$510K over 3 years for early-career faculty), and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards ($1.5M/year for 3-5 years for research teams). ONR recommends contacting relevant program officers before submitting to discuss alignment with current research priorities. The BAA supports basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), and advanced technology development (6.3) across the full range of naval-relevant science and engineering disciplines.
DE-FOA-0003600 is the DOE Office of Science's FY 2026 open, rolling solicitation for financial assistance, providing roughly $500 million across seven program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Isotope R&D and Production. AI and machine learning research is supported directly through Advanced Scientific Computing Research, while Biological and Environmental Research funds atmospheric process research, environmental systems process research, and earth-energy systems modeling — making this a major channel for AI-enhanced climate and earth system modeling work. DOE anticipates 200 to 350 new awards ranging from $5,000 to $5 million each, with project periods from six months to five years. The FOA opened September 30, 2025 and accepts applications on a rolling basis through the end of FY 2026.
USDA-NIFA-HEP-011737 puts $14 million behind roughly 28 awards of up to $705,000 for graduate fellowships in food and agricultural sciences. No match is required. But two eligibility rules — the new-graduate-student definition and the citizenship requirement — disqualify most of the students a department would naturally nominate.
Read articleNIFA's Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (USDA-NIFA-HSI-011903) posted September 10, 2026 with $30.6 million, 40 anticipated awards, and a December 3 deadline. It uses the same 25 percent enrollment definition the Justice Department has declined to defend at the Department of Education. Here is the structure, the three grant types, and the caps that decide who wins.
Read articleNIFA's FY2026 Higher Education Challenge program closes October 15, 2026 with $5.7 million and roughly 18 awards. Standard grants cap at $150,000, Collaborative Type 1 at $300,000, and Collaborative Type 2 at $750,000 — all from the same pool, all scored against each other. No match is required. Here is how the tier structure actually determines your odds.
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