External Grants

Industry-Sponsored Research

Deadline: July 31

• Low-cost genotyping methods for assessing micronutrient deficiency risk
  Private Company
  The industry partner is seeking a low-cost genotyping technology—either lab-based or in-home—that accurately identifies SNPs associated with key micronutrient deficiencies, is compatible with non-invasive sample collection, and can be scaled for high-volume consumer testing.
  Genotyping micronutrients
• Precision OTC pediatric pain-relief devices and formulations
  Haleon
  Haleon is seeking innovative, scalable technologies (pharmaceutical, non-pharmacological or hybrid) that deliver safe, effective, and caregiver-friendly pain relief tailored specifically to children.
  Pediatric pain relief
• Advanced fiber materials mimicking human hair
  Private Company
  The industry partner is seeking advanced synthetic hair fibers engineered to mimic the physical and aesthetic properties of natural human hair.
  Human hair fiber
• Biocompatible adhesives and adhesion promoters
  Private Company
  The industry partner is seeking an innovative adhesion promoter suitable for non-transparent artificial nails. They are open to collaborating with experts in materials science, polymer chemistry, or biomedical engineering to develop a viable solution.
  Artificial nail adhesives
• Oxygen sensors for sulfur-rich gas streams
  Private Company
  The industry partner is seeking technologies that can continuously measure oxygen concentrations at the waste-heat boiler feed/outlet and electrostatic-precipitator (ESP) outlet of non-ferrous smelters, while operating directly in hot, sulfur-rich off-gas environments that can reach temperatures up to 1,000 °C.
  Oxygen sensors
• Surface tack reduction in uncured rubber sheet processing
  Carlisle
  Carlisle is seeking solutions that can eliminate the need for powder-based dusting during the EPDM sheet manufacturing process. This could involve changes to the manufacturing process, modifications to the EPDM formulation, or other approaches that prevent adhesion between the sheets.
  Rubber tack reduction
• Novel delivery platforms for OTC allergic rhinitis relief
  Haleon
  Haleon is seeking technology-driven over-the-counter (OTC) solutions that deliver rapid and sustained relief from allergic rhinitis while improving user adherence, safety, and overall experience.
  Allergic rhinitis
• In-line imaging technologies for ice cream quality monitoring
  General Mills
  General Mills is seeking in-line imaging instruments capable of acquiring high-quality data to support computer vision–based quality monitoring of ice cream during manufacturing.
  Ice cream imaging
• Novel drying technology for meat-based products
  Private Company
  The industry partner is seeking technologies that can effectively reduce moisture levels to achieve shelf stability in high-meat food formulations, while preserving their nutritional value, texture, aroma, and flavor. The ideal solution should be sustainable, energy-efficient, and scalable for large-scale production.
  Meat drying technology
• HortiEdit 2025: Thriving plants, sustainable harvest
  Bayer Crop Science
  Bayer Crop Science is seeking mature gene-edited traits in horticultural crops to enhance disease resistance, optimize plant architecture, and support more sustainable, efficient production systems.
  Hortiedit 2025

Deadline: August 31

• 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.