In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute has engaged in collaborative research to help agricultural producers and entrepreneurs manage the enormous challenges the pandemic and the resulting public quarantines are having on the food-producing sector.
One such collaboration is with Invest Nebraska, an organization that helps grow Nebraska’s economy by assisting entrepreneurs and investing capital in companies with growth potential. With the support of a grant from the Wells Fargo-funded Innovation Incubator based at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, DWFI staff are working with The Combine, an initiative of Invest
Nebraska that supports high-growth entrepreneurs in food and agriculture. The program activities consist of a variety of needs-based technical support, including workshops, individual mentoring, educational curricula development and rent support for start-ups housed in the Combine’s space at the Nebraska Innovation Campus.