BDRI Allocates $35 Million for Biomass Energy Projects

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI)—a joint program through the USDA and DOE—has announced up to $35 million, paid over three years, to support R&D in advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value biobased products. For fiscal year 2012, interested applicants must propose projects that integrate science and engineering research in the three areas below:

• Feedstock Development: supporting R&D and demonstration activities for improving biomass feedstocks and their supply, including the harvest, transport, preprocessing, and storage necessary to produce biofuels and biobased products.
• Biofuels and Biobased Products Development: funding R&D and demonstration activities to increase the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels and biobased products. Funding will also bolster technologies to produce various biobased products, including animal feeds and chemicals that can potentially increase the economic viability of large-scale fuel production in a biorefinery.
• Biofuels Development Analysis: financial support to develop analytical tools to better evaluate the effects of expanded biofuel production on the environment. Funding will assess the potential of using federal land resources to sustainably increase feedstock production for biofuels and biobased products.

Subject to appropriations, BDRI expects to be able to fund five to seven projects over three to four years. Complete information is available at FedConnect and Grants.gov under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000657. Interested parties must submit applications electronically by April 23, 2012. BDRI expects to notify applicants of the results by June 15, 2012.