The Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at Oklahoma State University (OSU) has received $20 million in funding for renewables research. The university received the money from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Four million dollars will be allowed over five years.

According to Biofuels Business, the research project will be led by Dr. Ray Huhnke, director of the Biobased Products and Energy Center at Oklahoma State University (OSU); Dr. Lance Lobban, director of the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering at the University of Oklahoma (OU); and Dr. Kirankumar Mysore, associate professor at the Samuel Roberts Noble Research Foundation. The funds will support research for molecular tools for biomass development, and the underlying microbial conversion of biomass to liquid fuels, as well as new catalytic/thermochemical conversion processes for cellulosic biomass.

“There is already a great amount of momentum in the state right now about the production of non-food based biofuels,” said Dr. Jim Wicksted, associate director of the Oklahoma EPSCoR program. “This theme area and project will build on that momentum by developing an infrastructure that supports Oklahoma’s biofuels initiative. We’re so pleased that NSF and the State Regents are willing to provide the resources that enable this work.”