Minnesota organizations, research firms, individuals or businesses may now apply to access funding, facilities and research expertise through the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s (AURI) Agricultural Innovation Partnership (AIP) program. The program is intended to support collaborative partnerships, directing research and technology transfer ideas that add value to Minnesota’s agricultural products or improve efficiencies in their processing. Deliverables from the program will include applied research, guides and tools — all in the public domain — from which others can benefit to further the utilization and value of commodities and agricultural products. Awards may be for a part or all of the requested funding amount.

“The Agricultural Innovation Partnership Program presents a great opportunity not just for individual entities to access AURI food scientists and labs to cost-effectively develop a value-added ag idea but also for the Minnesota agricultural industry at large to access information it can use to find new and better uses for the state’s ag products,” said AURI Executive Director Shannon Schlecht. “We think it’s a particularly powerful way to fulfill our mandate to advance the ag industry in Minnesota, particularly in the areas of biobased products, food, renewable energy and coproducts.”

Those interested in applying for the AIP program must demonstrate their initiative advances the AURI mission to add value to a Minnesota ag product, fosters long-term economic growth and has the potential for broad industry impact. Participants must also commit to contributing resources equal to or greater than 25 percent of the total project cost. Those offering higher resource contributions will receive the highest priority. Finally, potential participants must understand that all information relevant to the project — including their initial proposal –will reside in the public domain.

AURI will consider proposals spanning the value-added agricultural sector; however, proposals in these specific areas will be of particular interest:

• A food packaging guide describing attributes of food protection, aggregation and branding;

• Development of value-added agricultural processing to better serve the region’s minority and ethnic communities and associations;

• Examination of the current state of processing of Minnesota’s smaller commodities and specialty crops sectors;

• Value chain challenges and opportunities facing indoor agriculture;

• Opportunities to expand the market for dairy products in e-commerce;

• Surveying opportunities in dairy and plant protein blends;

• Enhanced value-added opportunities for the meat industry;

• Catalyzing local business-to-business ingredient sourcing;

• Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical opportunities for Minnesota commodities and coproducts; and

• Biobased industrial opportunities.

Project outcomes should demonstrate benefits to the industry, including the sourcing of Minnesota commodities; show potential for increased use of Minnesota ag products and a compelling benefit to the state’s ag producers; and create an opportunity for economic impact in the form of business start-ups, expansions, jobs or capital investment.

Those interested in applying to participate in the program can find additional information and application instructions at http://www.auri.org/AIP.

Since 2011, collaborations between AURI and Minnesota agricultural entities have created more than 500 Minnesota jobs, generated capital investment exceeding $89 million and used more than 323,000 tons of commodities each year.