SMART Reproduction receives $275,000 research grant

AgricultureLatest NewsNortheast Arkansas

by George Jared ([email protected]) ago 28 views 

Jonesboro-based SMART Reproduction has won a $274,996 research seed grant from the National Science Foundation. 

CEO Brittany Scott said the idea to apply came from a conversation with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center that introduced her to America’s Seed Fund, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

The center’s innovation consultants, Karen Bergh and Catherine Corley, encouraged SMART Repro to seek SBIR/STTR non-dilutive funding to support its innovative work. 

“This award is entirely due to a chance conversation with ASBTDC,” Scott said.

Heeding the consultants’ advice, SMART decided to apply for research-and-development funding through multiple agencies.

With the NSF win under its belt, the company is now targeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.

“Karen and Catherine’s mentorship and direct support have inspired SMART to submit a USDA and NIH SBIR Phase I proposal in 2024,” said Scott.

The woman-owned agtech company is developing the world’s first non-invasive tool for evaluating the viability of sheep and goat embryos. 

The tool will enable embryologists to turn a 30-second video into valuable insights for domestic sheep and goat production, using machine learning, or ML, models that will be tested during the NSF Phase I project.

With over 100 international customers, SMART Reproduction is the first U.S.-based business to receive certification for the multi-country export of small ruminant semen and embryos. 

SMART’s products, manufactured in Jonesboro, have been used to improve indigenous goat populations overseas, fostering sustainable local protein production systems in countries including Nepal and Brazil. 

“The need for innovative and scalable applied technology within the domestic small ruminant sector drives the foundation of this partnership,” said Scott. “I am incredibly excited that the National Science Foundation recognized the value of our project as it directly and positively impacts the health and welfare of the American public.”