The Sun Grant Initiative coordinates and conducts a wide variety of research related to biomass and bioenergy. Working both on a national and regional level, the Sun Grant Centers are charged with coordinating regional competitive grant programs, a national feedstock development effort, and other important research endeavors.
The Regional Competitive Grants Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Each of the five SGI Centers managed its own regional competitive grants program, to best meet the challenges of bioenergy and biomass research and education needs within their respective regions. Priorities for the grant programs relate to renewable transportation fuel development included: biofuel feedstock development; biofuels conversion processes; biofuel system analysis; economics, marketing and policy; and, environmental impacts.
Working with the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Office of Biomass Programs, the Sun Grant Initiative has launched the Regional Feedstock Partnership Program. The Initiative is working to develop and implement a Regional Biomass Partnership to address barriers associated with the development of a sustainable and predictable supply of biomass feedstocks. This work involves literature reviews, data collection, and implementation of field trials.
The Sun Grant Initiative also works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop science and engineering tools to develop sustainable biofuels and bioproducts systems in the United States. The Industrial Ecology Research Program includes the development of life-cycle analyses for these systems is an important part of this process.