The U.S. Department of Energy announced Aug. 21 $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts.&nbsp;
The plant research&mdash;12 projects totaling $29 million over three years&mdash;focuses on expanding knowledge of gene function in plants to be grown for bioenergy and bioproducts.&nbsp; The aim is to pinpoint the connection between specific regions of plant genomes and particular plant traits, so that features such as drought resistance and crop yield can be improved.&nbsp;
The microbe research&mdash;13 projects totaling $35 million over three years&mdash;aims at better understanding of how communities of microbes cycle nutrients in soil and the environment.&nbsp; The goal is to illuminate the critical role of microbes in shaping Earth&rsquo;s environment.&nbsp; In the process, the research is expected to shed light on soil processes that could impact the growth of potential bioenergy crops.
&ldquo;We are entering an era when genomics is giving us ever greater understanding of what controls biological systems,&rdquo; said Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar.&nbsp; &ldquo;This research will help us improve crops grown for bioenergy and bioproducts while at the same time deepening our knowledge of complex and interacting biological processes within specific environmental systems.&rdquo;
Most projects are collaborations involving researchers from several institutions; many include one or more DOE national laboratories as partners.
Projects were selected by competitive peer review under two DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements, &ldquo;Genome-Enabled Plant Biology for Determination of Gene Function&rdquo; and &ldquo;Systems Biology Enabled Research on the Roles of Microbiomes in Nutrient Cycling,&rdquo; sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the Department&rsquo;s Office of Science.&nbsp;
Fiscal Year 2019 funding for the two efforts totals $25.4 million, with outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.&nbsp; A list of projects can be found <a href="http://icm-tracking.meltwater.com/link.php?DynEngagement=true&amp;H=FcQ5do3Mtm%2F2JnP%2FxXFcY%2BL9mOkU%2Fad4G7kfqxVfSdkEEq1vNf2gy2h6TAideS7fGuoXW2qfUgEG6aGQBBjcR87iN8Lx8roo6yxfthLr7EaS0nN7SlIwE2Vr4fso%2B6Trb4wuctQgYBQ%3D&amp;G=0&amp;R=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.osti.gov%2Fber&amp;I=20190821180234.000006f39b70%40mail6-41-usnbn1&amp;X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjVkNWQ4NjA0YWY4YTQzYWIyZDdhZDhlMDs%3D&amp;S=ZfeLLHx58HsJv_NGpoQLDMDsMETmPmy0UOp2pERLb0U">here</a>.
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The U.S. Department of Energy announced Aug. 21 $64 million in funding for 25 university-led genomics research projects on plants and microbes for bioenergy and bioproducts. The projects aim to improve features like drought resistance and crop yield.

DOE announces $64 million to help develop bioenergy crops

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