Novin AgriTech Secures USDA SBIR Grant to Develop Nitrogen Use Efficiency Trait in Elite Wheat Cultivars

Key Takeaways

• $174,906 USDA SBIR Phase I grant funds 8‑month NUE project
• InPACT platform edits elite wheat without tissue culture
• CRADA with USDA gives access to ARS research facilities
• Platform aims to expand to stress tolerance and other cereals
• Co‑founder Mohsen Mohammadi leads breeding program at Purdue

Pulse Analysis

Nitrogen use efficiency is a critical lever for reducing fertilizer expenditures and mitigating greenhouse‑gas emissions in grain production. Wheat, the world’s second‑most‑produced cereal, consumes roughly 30 percent of global nitrogen fertilizer, yet gains from conventional breeding have plateaued. Novin AgriTech’s focus on a high‑impact NUE trait aligns with broader sustainability goals and offers growers a tangible cost‑saving pathway, especially as input prices rise and regulatory pressure on nitrogen runoff intensifies.

The company’s InPACT platform differentiates itself by bypassing the tissue‑culture bottleneck that hampers most plant transformation methods. By leveraging a genotype‑independent, nanoparticle‑assisted ultrasound delivery system, InPACT can edit elite germplasm directly, preserving agronomic performance while inserting precise edits. Patented through Purdue Innovates, the technology promises faster development cycles and lower regulatory hurdles compared with traditional transgenic approaches, positioning Novin AgriTech at the forefront of gene‑editing‑ready crop improvement.

The USDA SBIR grant and the newly signed CRADA provide both financial backing and access to federal research infrastructure, accelerating proof‑of‑concept work and de‑risking subsequent Phase II funding. If the NUE trait validates, the platform’s modular nature could be rapidly applied to abiotic stress tolerance, disease resistance, and other cereals, creating a pipeline of market‑ready traits. This convergence of public‑private partnership, cutting‑edge biotech, and sustainability imperatives signals a shift toward more agile, trait‑focused innovation in the agri‑tech sector.