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NSF LTREB Program FAQs (Long Term Research in Environmental Biology)

1) What is the NSF Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) Program?

LTREB is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program that supports environmental biology research that depends on long, continuous time series of observations or measurements. Its purpose is to enable discoveries that generally cannot be achieved through short-term studies.

2) What kinds of scientific questions is LTREB meant to answer?

LTREB targets major questions in environmental biology where the added value comes specifically from extending time series far enough to detect trends, lag effects, nonlinear dynamics, regime shifts, or infrequent events that typical grant cycles may miss.

3) What scientific areas does LTREB emphasize?

The program emphasizes evolutionary biology, ecology, and ecosystem science, especially where processes unfold over long time scales or where rare, slow, or cyclical drivers shape outcomes.

4) What are examples of research topics that fit LTREB?

Examples described include:

• How natural selection and other evolutionary forces influence populations, communities, or ecosystems over time
• How interspecific interactions (competition, predation, mutualism, disease) change across years and varying conditions
• Population and community dynamics for long-lived organisms with slow turnover
• Feedbacks between ecological change and evolutionary change
• Long-term behavior of slowly cycling nutrient pools (for example, soil nutrients)
• Impacts of external forcing such as climate patterns with long return intervals

5) What makes LTREB different from a typical NSF biology grant?

A defining feature is its commitment to decadal-scale science. LTREB is designed to fund long-running studies where extending an existing dataset is the critical ingredient, rather than supporting short-term projects that can be resolved within a standard award period.

6) Does LTREB fund brand-new projects that are starting from scratch?

The program is intended to fund long-running studies rather than launch entirely new projects. Competitive proposals are expected to build on an established record of observing the focal system or process over time.

7) How much prior data or prior study history is expected before applying?

Proposals must be anchored in Core Data. Investigators are expected to have already studied the focal phenomenon or process for at least six years (or long enough to produce a contemporary time series with at least six data points).

8) What does NSF mean by "Core Data" in LTREB?

Core Data refers to the existing long-term observations/measurements that demonstrate the study already has a meaningful time series. These data should be analyzed in ways that generate the next questions, and the proposed work should remain focused on the same underlying phenomenon or process.

9) Can an LTREB project change its topic or pivot to a new system?

Based on the description provided, the proposed work should stay focused on the same underlying phenomenon or process, and should not pivot to an unrelated topic.

10) What are the key required elements of a successful LTREB proposal?

LTREB proposals are expected to include three core elements:

1. Decadal Research Plan: a scientific rationale for why ten more years of data are essential and what biological concepts, questions, or theories will be advanced.
2. Core Data: evidence of at least six years of prior study (or at least six time-series data points), with analysis that motivates the next research questions.
3. Plan for Data Management and Dissemination: how the dataset will be organized, preserved, and shared for broad accessibility.

11) What is a "Decadal Research Plan" in LTREB?

It is a scientific justification explaining why extended time is the critical ingredient for answering the proposed questions and advancing key concepts or theory. It is explicitly not meant to be a management timeline.

12) Why does LTREB emphasize a 10-year vision?

LTREB is built around a decadal-scale approach. The program expects that extending datasets across long horizons reveals patterns and processes (for example, lag effects, nonlinear dynamics, regime shifts, or rare events) that are difficult to detect otherwise.

13) How is the LTREB award structured across time?

The program is framed as a 10-year vision implemented through two potential 5-year segments: an initial 5-year award, followed by the possibility of a second 5 years through renewal.

14) What is the submission process for an initial LTREB award?

Initial awards use a two-step process: a required preliminary proposal is submitted first; if NSF invites the project forward, the team then submits a full proposal.

15) How long can the project description be for an initial full proposal?

For the initial 5-year award period, the full proposal includes a 15-page project description.

16) How does the renewal process work after the first five years?

After the first five years, investigators may apply for a second five years of support through a renewal proposal. The renewal proposal has an 8-page project description and does not require another preliminary proposal.

17) What if a team wants to continue beyond the initial 10-year window?

NSF requires a new preliminary proposal that lays out a fresh decadal research plan. This signals that further support should be justified by new long-term questions rather than simple continuation.

18) Which NSF units review LTREB proposals?

Proposals are co-reviewed within NSF's Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) by participating clusters in Ecosystem Science, Population and Community Ecology, and Evolutionary Processes.

19) How can applicants confirm whether their topic fits LTREB?

Applicants should ensure their research topic fits within the scientific scope of the participating DEB programs. If there is uncertainty about fit, NSF encourages researchers to contact the appropriate program director.

20) Are there topics that LTREB will not fund?

Yes. The solicitation notes that beginning in January 2014, the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) stopped accepting proposals through the LTREB solicitation. As a result, certain long-term, organism-focused areas are no longer supported through LTREB.

21) What are examples of organism-focused areas no longer supported through LTREB (per the description provided)?

The description lists areas such as:

• Behavior (development, mechanisms, adaptive value, or evolutionary history)
• Symbioses (mechanisms and processes)
• Physiology and energetics (growth, development, stress responses, metabolism)
• Structural or physiological traits related to living in particular environments

22) If a long-term project is primarily organism-focused, is it still eligible for NSF support?

NSF indicates these long-term, organism-focused projects may still be considered within IOS core programs, but they are not supported under the LTREB solicitation.

23) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this LTREB opportunity?

The Funding Opportunity Number provided is 14-507.

24) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 47.074 (Biological Sciences).

25) Is cost sharing required?

No cost-sharing requirement is stated for this opportunity.

26) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, subject to any clarifications in the solicitation.

27) How many awards were anticipated and what was the total estimated funding?

The program anticipated making around 8 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $1.5 million.

28) What is the award ceiling mentioned?

The award ceiling stated is $450,000.

29) What were the key due dates mentioned for the annual cycle?

The solicitation described a recurring annual cycle with preliminary proposals due January 30 (by 5 p.m. local time) and full proposals due August 1.

30) Is this opportunity still active?

The notice described here is identified as archived. Even so, it outlines the structure, expectations, and review framing that governed the program at the time, and it emphasizes reading the full solicitation for detailed criteria and renewal requirements.

31) What does LTREB expect regarding data sharing and long-term stewardship?

LTREB expects a Plan for Data Management and Dissemination that explains how information will be organized, preserved, and shared. The program notes that long-term datasets often become community resources and should be managed for broad accessibility, including sharing with other researchers and, where appropriate, the interested public.

32) What should applicants do to understand LTREB-specific review criteria and renewal requirements?

The description repeatedly emphasizes that prospective applicants should read the full solicitation carefully for the detailed LTREB-specific review criteria and renewal requirements.