# Presentation: 026014

## The Sun Grant Initiative

**A Concept From Sen. Tom Daschle to Revitalize Rural Communities and Solve Our Energy Needs**

## Problems and Challenges for the Nation 

- Second major energy crisis in 30 years.
- Shortages of electrical power.
- Retail prices of gasoline and natural gas recently hit record levels.
- Farmers are experiencing economic hardships.
- Exodus from rural areas to urban centers.

## Problems and Challenges for the Nation

- Viable alternatives and diversity are needed in agriculture.
- We can help solve these problems.
- Feedstocks for production of fuels, electrical power, lubricants, plastics, solvents, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, building materials, and numerous other **biobased** products.

## The Sun Grant Initiative

- A national network of DOE laboratories and land grant universities to implement a biobased economy.

## The Sun Grant Initiative

- Mission
**Enhance national energy security through development, distribution and implementation of biobased energy technologies.**
**Promote biobased diversification and environmental sustainability of America’s agriculture.**
**Promote opportunities for biobased economic diversification in rural communities.**** **

## The Sun Grant Initiative

- Oregon State Univ.

- South Dakota State Univ.

- Cornell Univ.

- Univ. of Tennessee

- Oklahoma State Univ.

- DOE - NREL

- DOE-ORNL

- USDA-CSREES

## Centers and Regions

- Five national centers.
- Each to receive federal funding to establish their expertise and solidify their programs.
- Each center will also administer competitive grants for their respective regions.

## Five Sun Grant Regions

## The Land Grant System

- Research, Academic, and Extension programs.
- Broader than the ag colleges;
- SDSU Colleges of Family & Consumer Sciences, Engineering, and Pharmacy

## Research

- Agricultural Experiment Stations
- Federal support – Hatch Act of 1887
- State Matching support
- A state – Federal partnership through SDSU and USDA-CSREES
- Mandated multi-state, multi-disciplinary research
- Integrated with Extension

## Sun Grant Research

- Development of adapted plant varieties and delivery of certified seed
- Transportation and delivery
- Conversion of biobased resources into products and energy
- Responsible implementation of biotechnology
- Sustainability and environmental benefits

## Extension

- Cooperative Extension Service
- Smith-Lever Act of 1914
- State match
- A three-way partnership: Federal (USDA-CSREES), State (SDSU), Counties
- Mandated multi-state, multi-disciplinary programs
- Integrated with the experiment stations

## Sun Grant and Extension

- “an Enterprising Extension Service”
- Linking new technology and rural-based businesses.
- Linking sources of capital and rural businesses.
- Public education, demonstration, pilot programs

## Higher Education

- Land grant universities founded by the Morrill Act of 1862.
- Currently, all support is through state, tuition, and private funds.
- The Sun Grant institutions would receive federal funds to establish education programs for a biobased economy.

## Higher Education

- New academic programs, new majors, new curricula.
- Link disciplines, such as agriculture, food science, biology, engineering, pharmacy
- Bio-based chemical engineering.
- Connect students with new opportunities to strengthen rural communities.

## Partnerships

- There will be opportunities for all the land grants
- 1862s
- 1890s
- 1994s
- Integrated, multi-state, multi-disciplinary programs
- Public, industry, small/medium sized enterprises