The Biomass Research and Development Initiative provides grants for R&D and the demonstration of new ways to refine various types of feedstocks into biofuels or biobased chemicals and products.

Like other farm bill bioenergy programs, the program has funded the mature corn biofuels and woody biomass industries, in addition to other food-based bioenergy feedstocks such as sorghum and vegetable oil.

While traditionally under the farm bill energy title, H.R. 2 proposes to move the Biomass R&D Initiative under Title VII – Research. The bill provides $20 million in discretionary funding for each year FY19-23 (compared to $3 million in mandatory funding for each year FY14-17 and $20 million in discretionary funding for each year FY14-18 in the 2014 farm bill).