FORT COLLINS - The National Science Foundation awarded Colorado State University $3 million for a program to provide biofuels training to doctoral students.

The grant will create the Integrated Graduate Education in Biorefining and Biofuels Program. It will be aimed at preparing graduates to work in the complex biofuels industry by giving them a full picture of it -- where biomass comes from, the ways in which it's transformed into fuels and chemicals and whether the entire process is sustainable.

The grant will support the education of up to 45 doctoral students during the next five years. Training will range from environmental assessment, such as greenhouse gas impacts, to fuel engineering and plant biotechnology. Students must be enrolled as graduate students in science, engineering or economics to be eligible.

"We're very supportive of this program given the changing nature of the biofuel industry," said Stephen Brand, senior vice president of technology for ConocoPhillips, in a prepared statement. ConocoPhillips is a partner in the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory and its Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. "Through the Collaboratory, we look forward to working with students from Colorado State and other institutions in the state to drive innovation to further the potential of renewable energy."

Since May, CSU has received $5 million in grants related to biofuel research, including $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture.