NA - Agricultural plants and production systems for sustainable energy supply

The objective of this pilot project is to establish cooperation with research institutes in the United States and Canada and to develop concrete project applications that can qualify for funding. The application from the Norwegian Crop Research Institute (NRCI) concerns cooperation with The University of Minnesota and other research institutes in North America on cultivation and utilisation of energetic plants, with a main focus on energy grasses. The research and cooperation which this project will initi ate lies in the heart of the objectives for the invitation. The RCN states that: ?A portion of the funding for cooperation with the USA and Canada will be given to country-based projects in the fields of bioenergy, biobased products and food safety?. Trou gh the proposed project the NCRI will strengthen Norway's scientific and technological cooperation with the United States and Canada. Contact with these countries is a profoundly important part of Norway's international research cooperation, and there is a significant potential for expanding this cooperation. NCRI intends to utilize the already established cooperation between UMB and The University of Minnesota, through the consortium ?Biomotive?.