External Grants

Industry-Sponsored Research

Deadline: August 31

• Microencapsulation of complex oil systems
  Private Company
• Continuous production systems for multiphase ingredient manufacturing
  Private Company
• Epitaxial growth of nitride-based semiconductors
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for epitaxial growth methods for nitride-based semiconductors that offer lower-cost alternatives to conventional techniques such as MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition), MBE (molecular beam epitaxy), and HVPE (hydride vapor phase epitaxy).
• Biodegradable spray coatings for fiber-based packaging
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is seeking biodegradable polymer coatings or biodegradable resins that can be spray-applied to fiber-based beverage packaging (350 mL to 1 L in volume), deliver effective barrier performance, and enable high fiber recovery to support recyclability.
• Production of hydrocolloid patches at scale
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for hydrocolloid-based lip patches for treating wounds or cold sores, ideally with the ability to incorporate sensorial ingredients like menthol at sub-therapeutic levels. They seek contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) with capabilities spanning formulation, prototyping, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing.
• Biodegradable thermoplastic resin for injection molding
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is seeking biodegradable, injection-moldable resins that could serve as drop-in or near drop-in replacements for polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in injection-molded closures and other primary packaging components used for food and beverage applications with direct food contact.
• Advancing treatments for cough relief
  Private Company
  The sponsor is seeking innovative solutions that improve the effectiveness, tolerability, and user experience of OTC cough remedies. They are particularly interested in approaches that go beyond symptom suppression to support throat and airway health, reduce irritation, and enhance natural recovery mechanisms.
• Antibodies for milk and soy allergen detection
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for highly sensitive antibodies targeting milk and soy allergens for use in food allergen diagnostic applications. They are open to purchasing or licensing antibodies from commercial, academic, and governmental groups that have developed or are developing allergen-specific antibodies for diagnostic applications.
• Advancing allergy relief with botanical and natural remedies
  Private Company
  The sponsor is seeking innovative, natural solutions that improve the effectiveness, tolerability, and user experience of OTC allergy remedies. They are particularly interested in botanical and plant-derived approaches that provide symptom relief without relying on immune modulation or synthetic antihistamines.
• Recyclable, monomaterial pump systems for sprays & semi solids
  Haleon
  Haleon is looking to identify recyclable pumps that can dispense a range of formulations, from sprays to creams. A single pump does not need to serve all formats; they are open to separate solutions for different product types, such as one pump for sprays (up to 0.5 mL per actuation) and another for creams or gels (up to 1 mL per actuation). Ideally, these mono-material pumps should be made from a single type of polymer.
• Novel proteins, peptides and amino acids with health benefits
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is looking for novel proteins, peptides, and amino acids that provide specific health benefits in the area of weight management and muscle development, retention, or repair.
• Plaque visualization technology
  Haleon
  Haleon is seeking innovative technologies that enable consumers to visualize and understand the amount and location of plaque in their mouth. This could include a combination of a dye and a low-cost visualization device (e.g., a smartphone attachment), or either as a standalone solution.
• Novel proteins, peptides and amino acids with health benefits
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is looking for novel proteins, peptides, and amino acids that provide specific health benefits in the area of weight management and muscle development, retention, or repair.
• Advancing allergy relief with botanical and natural remedies
  Private Company
  The sponsor is seeking innovative, natural solutions that improve the effectiveness, tolerability, and user experience of OTC allergy remedies. They are particularly interested in botanical and plant-derived approaches that provide symptom relief without relying on immune modulation or synthetic antihistamines.
• Epitaxial growth of nitride-based semiconductors
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for epitaxial growth methods for nitride-based semiconductors that offer lower-cost alternatives to conventional techniques such as MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition), MBE (molecular beam epitaxy), and HVPE (hydride vapor phase epitaxy).
• Recyclable, monomaterial pump systems for sprays & semi solids
  Haleon
  Haleon is looking to identify recyclable pumps that can dispense a range of formulations, from sprays to creams. A single pump does not need to serve all formats; they are open to separate solutions for different product types, such as one pump for sprays (up to 0.5 mL per actuation) and another for creams or gels (up to 1 mL per actuation). Ideally, these mono-material pumps should be made from a single type of polymer.
• Advancing treatments for cough relief
  Private Company
  The sponsor is seeking innovative solutions that improve the effectiveness, tolerability, and user experience of OTC cough remedies. They are particularly interested in approaches that go beyond symptom suppression to support throat and airway health, reduce irritation, and enhance natural recovery mechanisms.
• Production of hydrocolloid patches at scale
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for hydrocolloid-based lip patches for treating wounds or cold sores, ideally with the ability to incorporate sensorial ingredients like menthol at sub-therapeutic levels. They seek contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) with capabilities spanning formulation, prototyping, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing.
• Plaque visualization technology
  Haleon
  Haleon is seeking innovative technologies that enable consumers to visualize and understand the amount and location of plaque in their mouth. This could include a combination of a dye and a low-cost visualization device (e.g., a smartphone attachment), or either as a standalone solution.
• Biodegradable spray coatings for fiber-based packaging
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is seeking biodegradable polymer coatings or biodegradable resins that can be spray-applied to fiber-based beverage packaging (350 mL to 1 L in volume), deliver effective barrier performance, and enable high fiber recovery to support recyclability.
• Biodegradable thermoplastic resin for injection molding
  PepsiCo
  PepsiCo is seeking biodegradable, injection-moldable resins that could serve as drop-in or near drop-in replacements for polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in injection-molded closures and other primary packaging components used for food and beverage applications with direct food contact.

Deadline: September 26

• Oxygen scavenger innovation for packaging applications
  Amcor
• PhD Leadership Development Program Internship – Summer 2026
  BASF
• Recyclable high-barrier blister packaging
  Private Company
  The partner is looking to identify medium, high and ultra-high barrier blister packaging solutions that are recycle-ready and/or recyclable as a complete format. Ideal solutions should reduce the use of virgin petroleum-based plastic compared to traditional blister packs and deliver lower overall carbon footprint.
• Coatings, films, and surface technologies for full product evacuation
  Private Company
  The sponsor is looking for solutions that maximize product usage by enabling full evacuation of product content from packaging, across a number of formats (predominantly tubes and bottles), minimizing or eliminating residual product.
• High-barrier technologies for recyclable flexible packaging
  Private Company
  The partner is looking for medium, high, and ultra-high barrier solutions for flexible packaging that are recycle ready and/or recyclable. Complete packaging formats are preferred, but they are also open to standalone barrier technologies suitable for integration.
• Preventing trait expression in cross-compatible weed species
  BASF
  BASF is looking for innovative ideas and protocols for the targeted modification of trait genes in rice to prevent their expression or function when transferred to weedy rice species through cross-pollination. Proposed approaches may involve mutagenesis or genome editing, but not transgenesis, for final implementation.
• Accelerating flowering time in Brassica napus
  BASF
  BASF is seeking to collaborate with a partner to develop and apply a technology to engineer flowering time in summer/spring oilseed rape (B. napus) for commercial application.
• Insecticides targeting brown planthopper in rice crops
  Private Company
  The partner is looking for a conventional or biological insecticide capable of effectively controlling the brown planthopper pest in a very challenging and competitive rice production market.
• Increasing mutation frequency for trait discovery in crops
  BASF
  BASF is seeking to collaborate with an R&D partner to develop methods for improving chemical mutagenesis through increased mutation frequency. The goal is to enable the creation of mutant populations with enhanced genetic variability, increasing the likelihood of generating desired mutations in target genes.
• Promoter variant impact on gene expression in plants
  BASF
  BASF is seeking to collaborate with an R&D partner to investigate how single-nucleotide changes in promoter regions affect the expression levels of their associated genes. This may involve leveraging existing sequence diversity from mutant populations or germplasm panels, or creating novel variation through synthetic promoter libraries.
• Innovative spray technologies
  Procter & Gamble
  P&G is looking for innovative spray delivery technologies for personal care formulations, including chemical, energized, and mechanical spray systems. They are interested in solutions that can support liquid and/or powder formulations.
• Microbial dust control and surface stabilization
  Private Company
• Seed production services in controlled environments
  BASF
  BASF is seeking to outsource transgenic and/or non-transgenic seed-to-seed productions to an experienced service provider with demonstrated expertise in controlled-environment plant cultivation.
• PhD Leadership Development Program – Full-Time 2-Year Rotational Program
  BASF
• Optimizing water use in cropping systems with water allocation constraints
  Corteva
  Corteva is seeking short, non-confidential proposals describing a plan to answer the following central question: How should farmers manage limited water quantities to maintain or improve productivity in the western Corn Belt?
• Long-term breeding effects on maize adaptation to climate change
  Corteva
  Corteva is seeking experimental approaches to better understand the long-term impact of breeder selection on maize yield improvement using ERA hybrids.