The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is a federally funded bioenergy research program led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Michigan State University as a primary partner. Member institutions extend reach and participation and include Illinois State University, Texas A&M University, and other academic institutions, national laboratories, and industry partners, The mission of the GLBRC is to perform the basic research required to sustainably convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol and other advanced biofuels.
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GLBRC is one of three Bioenergy Research Centers established by the United States Department of Energy in 2007, the only one based at an academic institution, and the only center with a focus on sustainability. Other centers include the Bioenergy Science Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, California, both of which are based at United States Department of Energy National Laboratories.
GLBRC is housed within the Wisconsin Energy Institute, a newly constructed clean energy research hub situated on the west campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Research and Scientific Contributions
As of January 20th 2015, GLBRC researchers have issued more than 100 patent applications.
The Center employs over 400 scientists focusing on four primary research areas: sustainability, plants, deconstruction, and conversion.