The Colorado Center for Biofuels and Biorefining (C2B2) is a research consortia combining three universities, a National Laboratory, the State Government, and a host of industrial sponsors. Under the auspices of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado at Boulder are working with the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to advance the science and engineering of biorefining. C2B2 is also providing training and education necessary for meeting the workforce demands of new “Green Collar” jobs. The consortia brings together global energy, chemical, and agricultural companies to address the issues relevant to providing renewable based fuels and materials. Here, an overview of C2B2's research and educational activities is presented with an emphasis on new developments in thermochemical conversions, algae derived biodiesels, biorefining separations, and bioproducts (fuels and plastics).