ISU, state and industry leaders will meet Tuesday to discuss and develop recommendations on how to maintain Iowa’s leadership role in the nation’s growing bioeconomy.

The day-long meetings in the Scheman Building – “A Call to Action Summit: Ensuring Iowa’s Leadership in the Bioeconomy” – is a chance for leaders in Iowa’s biofuels economy to prepare the state for upcoming changes in biorenewable technologies, said Robert Brown, director of biorenewables programs at Iowa State.

“This is a discussion on what it is going to take for the state of Iowa to continue expanding beyond grain ethanol,” Brown said. “The point is to make [planning for Iowa’s future bioeconomy] a statewide activity. It’s important because there is a tremendous surge of interest in renewable fuels, and the state of Iowa probably produces more than 25 percent of the grain ethanol produced right now.”

Iowa State’s role in Iowa’s biofuels future is an important one, said John Brighton, Iowa State’s vice president for research and economic development. The university will need to be responsive to companies that hope to involve Iowa State in research and will act as a biofuels hub for the state of Iowa. If the state – with the help of Iowa State – can remain a biorenewables leader as the industry changes and expands, the economic benefits could be unprecedented.

“This has the potential to significantly impact the economy of the state in ways we cannot totally grasp at this time,” Brighton said.

The summit’s morning session will feature an address from ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and remarks from Brown, as well as remarks from state and industry leaders like Ted Crosbie, the state’s chief technology officer and Monsanto Co.’s vice president for global plant breeding – a probable source of future forms of ethanol and other biofuels.

The afternoon will be spent discussing issues ranging from the environmental and economic impact of expanding biofuel production in Iowa to what the necessary research and infrastructure investments may be, Brighton said.

One likely proposal Brown said will likely be raised is an increase in the use of blended gasoline.

“One of the simplest policies would be to expand the use of E-85 [gasoline],” he said. “Forty percent of our gasoline is already blended. We’re talking about doubling the amount of ethanol we use.”

Brown and Brighton said final recommendations to come out of the summit will be compiled in a report and presented to the new Legislature early next year.