More than two decades ago, a group of research engineers and applied scientists with interest in energy applications of bioprocessing initiated an annual symposium series ultimately entitled "Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals." The Department of Energy, several of the national laboratories, and various industrial firms have supported these symposia that are now held alternately in the mountains of Tennessee and Colorado. There has been wide acceptance of these meetings, with participants from the government, academia, and the commercial sector, and more than 20 different nations have been represented. The peer-reviewed proceedings have been published and are an important source for innovative bioprocessing research.