The Department of Energy is investing $178 million over a five-year period in 38 projects to research and develop new technologies designed to transform organic materials, including plants, food, waste and microorganisms into bioenergy.
DOE said Tuesday the selected projects will conduct research on the production of renewable bioenergy and biomaterials, the development of quantum-enabled biological sensors, the characterization of gene function in bioenergy crop plants and the role of microbiomes in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients.
The government-funded research programs are expected to support the Biden administration’s goal to achieve a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
“These projects will continue to advance the boundaries of biotechnology and support the emergence of a thriving U.S. bioeconomy that creates good-paying jobs and helps us meet our climate goals,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
DOE released four funding opportunity announcements for the research projects and selected the awardees through a competitive peer review.
