Known by the acronym AgSEED, the Agricultural Science and Extension for Economic Development program is an internal competitive grants system of the Purdue University College of Agriculture that focuses on advancing Indiana’s leadership in plant and animal agriculture and rural growth, especially through entrepreneurial initiatives. This year, three Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty members are among 17 recipients of 2025 AgSEED grants. The program supports one year grants at $50,000.
Congratulations to the following project leaders in the College of Veterinary Medicine and their collaborators for their success in obtaining 2025 AgSEED grants:
- François-René Bertin, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Large Animal), associate professor of large animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, for a project entitled, “Urinary Cortisol as a Diagnostic Tool for Pituitary Pars Intermedia in Horses.”
- Harm HogenEsch, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Distinguished Professor of Immunopathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, for a project entitled, “Development of a novel inmmunocontraceptive vaccine to reduce damage caused by wild pigs.”
- Viju Vijayan Pillai, BVSc, MS, PhD, DACVP, assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, for a project entitled, “Development of a rapid, on-site diagnostic test for detection of Mycoplasmosis in bison.”
AgSEED grants are funded with money awarded to Purdue Agriculture by the Indiana Legislature through the Crossroads program, which is part of Indiana’s commitment to furthering agriculture and rural development. Faculty and staff in the colleges of Agriculture, Health and Human Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine are eligible to apply for the AgSEED grants to fund basic research or applied research/extension. The awards are intended to serve as seed money to help researchers establish and build upon firm research foundations.