The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0003178) for up to $9.4 million for the development of advanced biofuels. This investment through a new agreement between EPA and DOE is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and will support high-impact biofuel technology projects to improve the performance and reduce the cost of biofuel production technologies, scale up production systems in partnership with industry, and accelerate the nation’s bioeconomy.

When responsibly sourced, biofuel production in the US can help strengthen the rural economy, reduce our reliance on foreign sources of oil, and support domestic production of cleaner fuels that can reduce some undesirable environmental impacts of fossil fuel production and use.

The FOA will fund selected projects in two priority areas:

1. Projects aimed at scaling up key process steps in advanced biofuel production.

2. Projects to develop and pilot-test key technology innovations for processing biointermediates, which are feedstocks that have been partially converted at one facility but are then sent to a separate facility for their final processing into a renewable fuel.

Domestic businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits are eligible to apply for the funding, which will be administered by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. FOA applicants will be required to explain how their proposed project meets EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard definition of an advanced biofuel.

DOE envisions awarding one or more financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements lasting approximately 36 months.