The Egg-Tech Prize is divided into two distinct phases. Phase I provides the seed funding to develop the necessary technology to compete for the Prize. In Phase II, the Prize Competition, contestants will develop and validate a working prototype that meets the Phase II criteria, which were announced today on the Egg-Tech Prize webpage. FFAR will accept Phase II submissions in early 2021. Contestants do not need to participate in Phase I of the competition to apply for or receive an award in Phase II.
The Phase I Egg-Tech Prize winners are:
- Abdennor Abbas with the University of Minnesota is receiving a $400,000 award to use an artificial intelligence platform for rapid and non-invasive egg sex identification. All organisms release trace gases in the form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other molecules. Abbas is using a 3D scanner to analyze the geometric shape of the eggs and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) to analyze the VOCs. Additionally, 3D analysis with machine learning will allow researchers to recognize and identify egg sex based on various geometric parameters.
- Pedro Gomez with Orbem Ai is receiving a $400,000 award, which is matched by outside contributors for a total of $1,149,911, to develop specialized technology that automatically scans and classifies eggs without touching them. Gomez is using accelerated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology with advanced artificial intelligence. This MRI approach allows Gomez to examine the organ development of embryos to detect physical differences between the males and females, without penetrating the shell.
- John Humphrey with Microscale Devices LLC is receiving a $251,459 award, which is matched by outside contributors for a total of $416,459, to use multidimensional spectral mapping technology to identify the sex of eggs from 0-12 days of incubation. This technology shoots different wave lengths of light at the egg and detects the refracted light patterns. Artificial intelligence will be employed to develop an optical fingerprint, or signature, that can determine the sex of eggs in less than five seconds.
- Jeroen Lammertyn with KU Leuven is receiving a $315,370 award, which is matched by outside contributors for a total of $650,842, to use a gender specific volatile detection technique to determine sex in ovo. Lammertyn is developing a non-invasive ovo sexing technique that registers volatile organic compounds passing that pass through the eggshell during incubation. Lammertyn is using specialized sensor technology, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) to analyze the VOCs.
- Adam Rivers with USDA-ARS is receiving a $396,762 award to use fiber optics and machine learning for analysis of volatiles toward in ovo sex determination. Rivers is also using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), a sensor designed to detect and analyze the VOC’s composition at a rate of 2000 samples per hour, to analyze the differences between male and female eggs.
- Thomas Turpen with SensIT Ventures, Inc. is receiving a $400,000 award to develop a microchip-based chemical sensor for early-stage in ovo sex determination. Turpen is capturing and characterizing gases released from individual eggs as soon as possible during storage and incubation. Researchers are developing a chemical sensor chip to detect the VOCs and using machine learning to classify the eggs by gender.
“We’re excited to see the industry paying more attention to this major animal welfare challenge,” said Lewis Bollard, Open Philanthropy’s program officer for farm animal welfare. “We hope this work helps the egg industry to make good on its pledge to end the culling of day-old male chicks.”
The winner of the $4.5 million Egg-Tech Prize in Phase II will be announced in 2021.
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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.
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Open Philanthropy
Open Philanthropy identifies outstanding giving opportunities, makes grants, follows the results and publishes its findings. Its mission is to give as effectively as it can and share its findings openly so that anyone can build on its work. Through research and grantmaking, it hopes to learn how to make philanthropy go especially far in terms of improving lives.
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