DE Modernization Investment Support Initiative Program

​The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection administers a Dairy Processor Grant program whose goal is to foster innovation, improve profitability and sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing facilities. Eligible applicants must operate a licensed dairy processing plant in Wisconsin engaged in pasteurizing, processing or manufacturing m​ilk or dairy products. Recipients are chosen through a competitive process. A total grant up to $50,000 is available per dairy processor per year. The dairy processor is required to provide a match of at least 20% of the grant amount.​

Transportation emissions remain the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the New Jersey, contributing to climate change impacts like rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events. They also serve as a significant contributor for other air pollutants, like NOx and particulate matter, which have harmful environmental and health effects. Moving toward transportation electrification addresses these concerns because electric vehicles (EVs) do not produce any tailpipe emissions. New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color have historically been subject to an unreasonably high number of environmental and public health stressors, including transportation emissions. As a result, residents in these areas suffer from increased adverse health effects including, but not limited to, asthma, cancer, elevated blood lead levels, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders. Electric mobility solutions like carshare, rideshare, and ride hailing services provide additional modes of transport for residents in underserved areas, who often don’t own a personal vehicle and rely on public transportation. eMobility will help ensure they have access to and can benefit from the advantages of clean vehicle technology.

The Biosensing program is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes 1) the Biophotonics program; 2) the Cellular and Biochemical Engineering program; 3) the Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program; and 4) the Engineering of Biomedical Systems program. The Biosensing program supports fundamental engineering research in the monitoring, identification and/or quantification of biological analytes and phenomena using innovations that exist at the intersection of engineering, life sciences, and information technology. Projects submitted to the program must advance both engineering and life sciences. The Biosensing program encourages proposals that, in addition to advancing biosensing technology, address critical sensor needs in biomedical research, public health, food safety, agriculture, forensics, environmental protection, and homeland security. Proposals are especially encouraged in areas of critical need: sensing technologies that can enable monitoring and surveillance of the environment and/or individuals for novel infectious agents; platform technologies that can readily be modified as soon as new agents are detected, sequenced, and/or otherwise characterized to enable rapid deployment of sensors in clinics and the environment; and adaptive and/or multiplex sensing technologies that can help the nation prevent the spread of the next global pandemic. Major areas of interest for the program include: -Novel signal transduction principles and mechanisms that enable sensitive and specific biosensors, suitable for measurements in multiple areas; -Design of novel biorecognition elements and appropriately designed transducing systems to enable adaptable and/or reconfigurable operating parameters in response to environmental changes or application needs at levels of device, system, or data analysis; -Development of adaptive and/or evolvable biosensing systems for detection of novel target analytes or analytes under novel conditions; -Novel synthetic biology approaches for the development of cell-free and cell-based biosensors; and -Combining biosensors with artificial intelligence (AI) methods to improve sensor specificity and response time.

The Awesome Foundation awards $1,000 grants each month to individuals and groups for various projects. With 84 independently run chapters, members contribute to a micro-funding pool supporting these grants. While funding is not limited to businesses, many startups and small businesses have benefited from the monthly grants. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

This training program helps Iowa businesses fund customized training for current employees. The program is designed to foster the growth and competitiveness of Iowa’s business and industry by ensuring that Iowa’s workforce has the skills and expertise to compete with any workforce outside the state of Iowa. The grant covers basic adult education, job-related instruction (or on-the-job training), skills assessments, testing and evaluation of employees, and travel reimbursement. Each of Iowa’s community colleges assists businesses with the development of training plans that are funded by forgivable loans. The maximum award is $25,000 for each project at a business site. A business site may be approved for multiple projects-with maximum funding over three years not to exceed $100,000. A cash match is required for projects exceeding $4,999.