US Department of Energy awards $45.5 million for biotech research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded US $45.5 million for research projects that aims to understand biological processes to produce clean biofuels and bioproducts.

The department said in a statement that these researches will push the boundaries of biology and biotechnology research, in order to help America's energy security and build its clean energy economy.

“Biofuels that can power planes and ships, and bioproducts made from renewable resources will play a critical role in decarbonizing our economy—and today’s awardees will help us understand, predict, and even design them at the cellular level, so that we can unlock their full potential,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in the statement.

The department said that 21 projects will research the development of microbes; meanwhile, 13 awards across 7 projects will develop new imaging capabilities to depict cellular processes in plants and microorganisms.