The aim of this paper is to consider research project as a relevant object of enquiry to depict and analyse science and innovation dynamics, when a research domain, shaped by science policies and researchers involvements within new fronts of knowledge, is confronted to specific conditions of public debate and collective expertise challenging techno-economic promises. This perspective echoes the conception upon which the study of regime of knowledge production has to be considered in its social and political composition (Pestre, 2003). Crossing a perspective in terms of projects ecology (Grabher, 2004) and a sociological survey of researchers’ involvement in innovation regime, it seems particularly interesting to shed light on the research dynamics on biofuels and bioenergies since the promise of bioenergy has been considered by many and until today as the concretisation of a green future, but has also generated controversies and debates on the sustainability of this techno-economic promise. Focusing on the situation in France, before extending our research project to the USA and Brazil, we have developed a case-study methodology to answer the following question. How does a nascent scientific community, which is involved in the specific context of climate change and the sustainable development display, constitute itself, perceive and deal with research management, local and national programs, paradigm shifts, scientific collaboration and controversies? Is it possible to make such research dynamics visible and what could be the relevant level of enquiry for that?