Delaware State wins National Science Foundation hemp grant

Delaware State University has been awarded some $592,000 in a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to work with undergraduates on developing new applications for hemp.

The historically black school in Dover was Delaware’s lead research agency when hemp was legal only for research purposes. After passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, Delaware State created a hemp-specific curriculum within its College of Agriculture, Sciences and Technology.

Delaware State says it plans to focus its NSF grant on the study of:

• Chemical extraction techniques.
• The effects of CBD on cancer cells.
• The effects of hemp extract on parasitic larvae in light of the increased drug resistance of parasites.

Delaware State says it will continue its two-year cultivation research partnership with Kentucky State University, another historically black school.

The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports non-medical research in science and engineering.