Implementing industrial-academic partnerships to advance bioenergy research: the Energy Biosciences Institute

Abstract

The Energy Bioscience Institute (EBI) is an example of an ambitious academic-industry collaboration. We present a summary of how the EBI was organized during the first eight years and examples of several major research thrusts within the Institute to develop renewable biodiesel, jet fuel and lubricants from carbohydrates. In particular, we describe how the multidisciplinary nature and management structure of the organization led to hybrid approaches in which bioconversions and chemical synthesis were combined to develop new products.