The Global Good Fund, Indian Oil Corporation Sign Deal Making AI Shield™ Available Worldwide

The Global Good Fund, managed by Intellectual Ventures, has signed a five-year manufacturing and distribution agreement with the Cryogenics Business Group of Indian Oil Corporation (NSE: Indian Oil) for the AI (Artificial Insemination) Shield, a transportation solution for frozen bull semen that increases the impact of artificial insemination efforts and overall herd growth for small-scale dairy and cattle farmers. The AI shield was previously only available in the Americas, Europe and Africa. The deal enables Indian Oil to sell the AI Shield in South Asia, expanding the product’s availability worldwide.  

The AI Shield is a simple, proprietary cold chain solution used by artificial insemination technicians when they visit a farm to inseminate cattle. The technology prevents damage to frozen bull semen from adverse temperature fluctuations as technicians access the semen from a container, and thereby increases the likelihood of conception by artificial insemination. 

“More than 75 million dairy farmers in India alone could benefit from adopting artificial insemination as part of their herd management practices. Unfortunately, current refrigeration and handling techniques in the country often damage bull semen, hampering conception rates and hurting farmers,” said Maurizio Vecchione, Senior Vice President of Global Good and Research at Intellectual Ventures. “If properly administered, artificial insemination could contribute to the kinds of increased milk production and herd improvements in India that are commonplace in the developed world."

“Frozen semen used to artificially inseminate dairy cattle is stored in narrow straws, making it very susceptible to damage from short exposures to ambient temperatures,” said Dan Lieberman, Ph.D., Project Lead at Intellectual Ventures Lab and lead author of a recently published paper looking at the effects of the AI Shield technology on semen biology. “Our research shows that our canister improvements successfully maintain the semen’s fertility even when it is mishandled,” added Lieberman.

“This innovation will help to protect precious biological samples while they are out of the protective medium,” said Srikrishna Chervu, General Manager (Cryogenics) at Indian Oil. Though Indian Oil is the largest commercial organization in India, being a Public Sector Enterprise, it is committed to the public good at large.

“We are excited and proud to be associated with Global Good because it strives to address big challenges for the good of the globe and the developing world in particular,” added Chervu.