Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment

When the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE) launched in 2003, topics like climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, biofuels and energy security were just entering the mainstream dialogue.

GrainSince then, these issues have taken center stage in America and around the world. In the same way, IREE has quickly become a central part of Minnesota's renewable energy economy, mobilizing more than 400 experts around one vital mission: 

To promote statewide economic development; sustainable, healthy and diverse ecosystems; and national energy security through development of bio‐based and other renewable resources and processes. 

Fulfilling this mission calls for a systems‐based approach that integrates scientific, economic and social perspectives. Accordingly, IREE‐funded researchers represent the breadth and depth of expertise at the University of Minnesota, including seven colleges, four campuses and three research centers to date.


2009 annual report

  • check out iree's pioneering projects, collaborations, research impacts and more in this year's annual report. download the pdf

IREE in the News