Recognizing the need for more energy options and the opportunity for Auburn University (AU) to be a leader in that effort, former AU President Ed Richardson created the AU Alternative Energy Initiative in 2006 and committed initial funding toward the alternative energy effort for fiscal year 2007 to support the expansion of research, outreach, and education efforts in alternative energy. That led to the creation of AU Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts (CBB) in January 2007.
Since the inception of the Auburn University’s CBB in 2007, the center has secured more than $60 million in grants related to biomass and bioenergy. The Center is a multidisciplinary effort involving faculty from across the AU campus, as well as policymakers, other educational institutions, and industry groups throughout the state and region. The CBB has more than 40 participating faculty primarily from College of Engineering, College of Agriculture and School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.