Ann Arbor, Michigan: Ecovia Renewables Inc., a renewable chemicals company developing high-performing biobased materials, received a DOE STTR Phase I grant of $224,535 for their proposal “Microbial co-cultures for production of methyl ketones from lignocellulose.” Under the grant, Ecovia Renewables will investigate the production of medium chain length (C11 to C15) methyl ketones via singe-step fermentation of renewable biomass with mixed microbial cultures. The work will be done in collaboration with Dr. Harry Beller’s research group at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory of Berkeley, California.