USDA and DOE Award $5.7 Million for Genomics Biofuels Research  

On August 9, 2006, the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture jointly awarded nine grants totaling $5.7 million to accelerate the development of biobased fuels through research, specifically genomics that will allow biomass and plant feedstocks to be grown in large quantities to produce renewable fuels.  This is the first year in which USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) and DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) have awarded these grants.  These awards are not part of the DOE and USDA joint solicitation for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, although they are similar.

DOE is funding six projects for a total $3.9 million and USDA is providing about $1.8 million for three projects.  Projects will have support for up to three years.

Awards have been given to:

• Purdue University , Ind. , $1.4 million
• The Noble Foundation, Okla. , $800,000
• Texas A&M University , Texas , $800,000
• USDA-Agricultural Research Service, University of Wisconsin , $333,000
• Carnegie Institute of Washington , $359,100
• Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, $300,000
• North Carolina State University , $700,000
• Kansas State University , $700,000
• University of Georgia , $445,000. 

 Click here to view USDA & DOE press release

 Click here for a PDF of this release

 If you have questions, please email or call Jetta Wong at jwong@eesi.org or (202) 662-1885. 

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