Sun Grant Association
The Sun Grant Association is a consortium of land-grant universities in the United States that serve as regional centers for the Sun Grant Initiative. As laid out in the Sun Grant Research Initiative Act of 2003, sun-grant universities have a purpose to research and develop biobased energy. The initiative was initially authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, and has been renewed by subsequent farm bills. The federal United [States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture], Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation are partners in the program. The sun-grant program, along with the National [Sea Grant College Program|sea-] and National [Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|space-grant] programs, make up the three national grant programs based on the original concept of land-grant universities.
Sun-grant universities
The following six universities house a regional center or subcenter.- South Dakota State University – North Central Regional Center, composed of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- University of Tennessee – Southeastern Regional Center, composed of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.
- Oklahoma State University – South Central Regional Center, composed of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
- Oregon State University – Western Regional Center, composed of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the freely associated states.
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa – Pacific Subcenter, composed of Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the freely associated states.
- Pennsylvania State University – Northeastern Regional Center, composed of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.