TUCKER, Ga. –The USPOULTRY Foundation has announced its approval of $275,000 worth of research grants at three universities. The board of directors for USPOULTRY and the Foundation Research Advisory Committee evaluated submitted proposals and chose four institutions to carry out the next step of research.

“Research continues to be an important part of USPOULTRY's and the Foundation’s service to the industry,” said Paul Hill, chairman of USPOULTRY. “The Foundation Research Advisory Committee is the core of the research program with committee members giving numerous hours studying and evaluating research proposals before making recommendations for funding. We sincerely welcome and value their excellent work.”

The research grants for each institution include:

• Production of cross-protective autogenous bacterin strains for controlling E. coli infections in poultry. (Univ. of Georgia; sponsor – Koch Foods)
• Does broiler vaccination with HVT-LT (INNOVAX) vector vaccine increase the Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV) Challenge Infectious dose? (Univ. of Georgia; sponsor – Claxton Poultry)
• Development of clostridium septicum oral vaccine for clostridial dermatitis in turkeys using an outer membrane vesicle delivery system. (Cornell Univ.; sponsor – Cooper Farms Foundation)
• Genetic modulation of the antimicrobial properties of the egg shell cuticle pore plug. (Univ. of Ottawa; sponsor – Midwest Poultry)

USPOULTRY has reinvested more than $26 million into the industry in the form of research grants since the beginning of the program, with the International Poultry Expo as the primary source of the funding. More than 50 universities and federal and state facilities have received grants.