NSF

The center is  developing a method to generate synthetic polymers using reengineered E. coli cells.

The grants were made as part of the NSF's Enabling Discovery through Genomic Tools — or EDGE — program.

President Trump had previously called for a $1.2 billion reduction in the NIH's budget for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The proposed cut comes on the heels of a budget proposal that would reduce the NIH's fiscal year 2018 budget by 20 percent.

The grants are provided through the NSF's Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research program in partnership with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The firm will develop a platform to detect toxic algal blooms in freshwater and marine environments using its Array System and LightDeck technology.