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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF BIO "2010 Project" (Funding Opportunity Number 09-514)

What is the NSF BIO "2010 Project" grant opportunity (09-514)?

It is an NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) discretionary research program focused on accelerating Arabidopsis thaliana functional genomics. The specific milestone driving the program was determining the functions of all genes in Arabidopsis by the year 2010.

What is the main goal of this program?

The program aims to push gene function determination in Arabidopsis to completion at genome scale. NSF emphasized projects that can assign gene function broadly and credibly, while also explaining how genes and proteins work together through pathways and regulatory networks.

What type of research approaches does the solicitation prioritize?

The solicitation prioritizes ambitious, genome-wide and systems-level studies that move beyond single-gene projects. It highlights comprehensive, high-throughput approaches designed to assign gene function, map biological pathways, and analyze gene/protein networks in a living plant.

Does the program support single-gene projects?

Based on the solicitation emphasis, the program is designed to move beyond single-gene projects and instead support genome-wide, high-throughput, and systems-level approaches aimed at broad functional annotation and network-level understanding.

What does NSF mean by "systems-level" in this solicitation?

In this context, "systems-level" points to work that integrates large-scale datasets and analyzes biological networks, often combining experimental results with computational or mathematical modeling to explain system behavior and generate testable hypotheses.

What kinds of high-throughput methods are relevant to this program?

The solicitation points to large-scale work such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, large-scale phenotyping, interaction mapping, and network inference, particularly when paired with modeling and empirical validation.

How important is computational modeling and prediction in this program?

Computational modeling is a central feature of the solicitation, especially in the final two years of the program. NSF explicitly encouraged projects that combine high-throughput experimental methods with modeling, and that integrate computational predictions with empirical validation.

What are the encouraged thematic research areas?

The announcement highlights four encouraged themes: (1) metabolic biology tied to energy capture and energy use, (2) adaptation to the environment and stress response networks, (3) multi-scale analysis of genome evolution and genetic systems, and (4) development of resources that enable genome-wide experimental approaches to determine gene function in Arabidopsis (with timing limitations for resource proposals).

What topics fall under the metabolic biology theme?

The solicitation emphasizes metabolic processes related to energy capture and energy use, aligning with areas such as photosynthesis, carbon allocation, respiration, and metabolite-centered regulation.

What does "adaptation to the environment" include?

It includes how plants perceive and respond to environmental stresses and changing conditions such as drought, temperature, salinity, pathogens, light regimes, and nutrient availability, with an emphasis on the gene networks that enable resilience or plasticity.

What is meant by "multi-scale analysis of genome evolution and genetic systems"?

This theme suggests integrative work linking sequence evolution, gene family dynamics, regulatory evolution, and functional diversification across scales, from molecular changes to organismal traits.

Are resource-development proposals allowed under this solicitation?

Yes, the solicitation includes an area focused on developing resources that enable genome-wide experimental approaches to determine gene function in Arabidopsis, such as community datasets, standardized tools, platforms, and broadly usable experimental pipelines.

Is there a restriction on when resource proposals can be submitted?

Yes. NSF noted a specific limitation that resource proposals would only be accepted in FY 2009, indicating a narrower window for proposals primarily centered on building shared infrastructure.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based organizations with a strong research or educational mission. Eligible applicants include U.S. academic institutions and U.S. nonprofit research organizations (such as museums, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar entities), as well as consortia of such organizations with appropriate research and educational facilities.

Can individuals or groups apply?

The program allows submissions from individual investigators or groups, indicating that both single-lab proposals and multi-investigator, potentially multi-institutional teams were within scope, depending on the proposed work.

Do eligibility rules apply to subaward organizations as well as the prime applicant?

Yes. The eligibility requirements apply to both prime applicants and subaward organizations, meaning collaborations had to remain within the specified U.S. institutional categories.

How many awards did NSF anticipate making?

NSF anticipated making about 25 awards under this solicitation.

What was the estimated total funding available?

The estimated total funding pool was $13,000,000.

What was the expected award size range?

Individual awards were expected to range from $500,000 (award floor) to $5,000,000 (award ceiling), supporting mid-sized to large, genome-wide projects.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The solicitation specified no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What CFDA program does this opportunity fall under?

The program fell under CFDA 47.074 (Biological Sciences).

When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on March 4, 2009.

What were the proposal target dates and closing date?

Full proposal target dates were February 19, 2009 and January 12, 2010. The final closing date was January 12, 2010.

Is this solicitation still active?

No. The archive date was June 8, 2010, indicating the solicitation was no longer active after that point.

How does the program relate to earlier NSF efforts?

NSF positioned the program as a continuation of earlier efforts in Arabidopsis functional genomics, emphasizing creative and innovative strategies using modern experimental and computational tools to accelerate function determination at scale.

What kinds of outcomes was NSF trying to accelerate?

The solicitation emphasizes rapid, large-scale functional annotation of Arabidopsis genes while increasing the biological meaning of that annotation by embedding gene functions in pathways and regulatory networks supported by data integration, modeling, and validation.

Does the solicitation allow ideas outside the highlighted themes?

Yes. While several thematic areas were particularly encouraged, the announcement leaves the door open for other ideas that fit the overall program goal of genome-wide Arabidopsis gene function determination and systems-level understanding.

Why does the solicitation emphasize networks and pathway mapping?

The program goal is not only to assign gene function, but to explain how networks of genes and proteins work together in a living plant. Network and pathway mapping provides the systems context that can make genome-scale functional annotation more informative and testable.

What is the significance of the "final two years of the program" language?

It signals urgency and prioritization: NSF explicitly emphasized large-scale analyses, biological networks, and integration of high-throughput experimentation with modeling during the final phase, aligning projects with the near-term 2010 milestone.