The purpose of the Sun Grant Program (SGP) is to enhance national energy security through the development, distribution, and implementation of biobased energy technologies; to promote diversification in, and the environmental sustainability of, agricultural production in the United States through biobased energy and product technologies; to promote economic diversification in rural areas of the United States through biobased energy and product technologies; and to enhance the efficiency of bioenergy and biomass research and development programs through improved coordination and collaboration among the Department of Agriculture; other appropriate Federal agencies (as determined by the Secretary); and Land-Grant Institutions.
The program provides a consortium of universities made up of a university from each of the sun grant regions and subcenter region (see Part III, A for regions) with a grant to support a North-Central, Southeastern, South-Central, Western, and Northeastern Sun Grant Center and a Western Insular Pacific Subcenter. A Sun Grant Center or Subcenter will use 75 percent of grant funds to provide competitive grants within each region that are multi-institutional and integrated, multistate research, extension, and education programs on technology development and technology implementation and address bioenergy, biomass, or bioproducts research priorities.
Eligible applicants must represent a consortium of 1862, 1890 and 1994 land-grant universities made up of one university from each of the sun grant regions and subregion. See Part III, A of the RFA.