Rainbow Crops Secures $7 Million Grant from Gates Foundation to…

Team S · 2026-03-09T14:26:50.000Z

Agritech company Rainbow Crops has received a $7 million research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the development of climate-resilient crop varieties. The initiative is aimed at helping farmers adapt to rising climate pressures, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where extreme weather is increasingly affecting food production. The funding will support the advancement of the company’s Trait Foundry™ platform, which combines artificial intelligence, genome editing, precision breeding, and automated plant analysis. This technology enables scientists to identify and stack beneficial genetic traits that can help crops better tolerate heat, drought, and other climate stresses. As part of the research program, Rainbow Crops will focus on improving three major staple crops - corn, sorghum, and rice. These crops play a crucial role in global food systems and are widely grown by farmers in regions vulnerable to climate change. The project will also study how young plants respond to environmental stress during the early seedling stage, a key phase for crop survival and productivity. Rainbow Crops emerged as a spin-off from the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and continues to collaborate with leading research institutions in Belgium. The initiative will involve partnerships with Professor Hilde Nelissen’s research group, the VIB Transformation Facility, and the VIB Agro-Incubator to advance crop genetics and breeding innovation. According to Giacomo Bastianelli, co-founder and CEO of Rainbow Crops, the grant will strengthen the company’s ability to develop solutions that help farmers grow crops capable of withstanding challenging environmental conditions. Through this effort, Rainbow Crops aims to deliver new genetic insights and breeding tools that can support the development of stronger crop varieties and contribute to improving global food security.

Member Login Get Access

Rainbow Crops Secures $7 Million Grant from Gates Foundation to… | Newnex