CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Several Texas universities are among 40 recipients chosen to receive federal funding to fight the New World screwworm.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas Tech, Texas A&M, the University of Texas at Arlington, the Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and UTRGV will receive money from the USDA to sharpen detection and strengthen response against the parasite.
The 40 programs will receive a combined $105 million.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the federal government has fought the screwworm before and is confident it can do so again.
"We launched the Grand Challenge expecting bold, innovative, and science-backed ideas to fight New World screwworm, and the proposals delivered just that," Rollins said. "These projects represent the creativity, scientific rigor, and determination we need to reinforce our existing efforts, empower our producers, and safeguard American agriculture and our food supply. We have beaten this pest before, and by leveraging innovative solutions and advancements in technology we will beat it again in record time."
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