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Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) - NSF 09-611: FAQs

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) solicitation NSF 09-611. It is a federal research program in NSF's Biological Sciences directorate (CFDA 47.074) that supports plant genome research aimed at building fundamental knowledge of plant genome structure and function and translating that knowledge into deeper understanding of economically important plants and traits with potential economic value.

2) What is the overall goal of the PGRP solicitation?

The solicitation emphasizes connecting basic genome science to real-world plant performance. The intended outcomes include improved understanding of plants and plant traits that can support agriculture, natural resource stewardship, and environmental management, while also advancing foundational knowledge in plant biology.

3) How does this solicitation relate to the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI)?

PGRP is a long-running initiative that began in FY 1998 under the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI). This solicitation reflects priorities from the NPGI five-year plan released in January 2009.

4) Why does NSF describe plant genomics as being at an "inflection point" in this period?

NSF notes that after more than a decade of investment, researchers had access to major enabling resources across crops and model species (for example, expressed sequence collections, genome survey sequences, mutant libraries, expression profiling platforms, and in situ gene expression tools). With high-quality whole genome sequences available for multiple crops and model plants, the field could take on previously difficult questions using genome-scale approaches and move discoveries from model systems into economically relevant species.

5) What kinds of projects does the program support?

For FY 2010, the solicitation describes four main categories of projects: Genome Enabled Plant Research (GEPR), Transferring Research from Model Systems (TRMS), Tools and Resources for Plant Genome Research (TRPGR), and Comparative Plant Genome Sequencing (CPGS).

6) What is a Genome Enabled Plant Research (GEPR) award?

GEPR awards are intended to address major unanswered questions in plant biology using genome-wide strategies.

7) What is a Transferring Research from Model Systems (TRMS) award?

TRMS awards focus on applying fundamental insights from model organisms to the study of plants of economic importance. The purpose is to accelerate translation so discoveries are not left isolated within model species.

8) What is a Tools and Resources for Plant Genome Research (TRPGR) award?

TRPGR awards support development of new technologies, computational approaches, and analytical tools that enable or significantly advance discovery in plant genomics.

9) What is a Comparative Plant Genome Sequencing (CPGS) award?

CPGS awards support generation of sequencing resources that make new comparative or functional research possible in important crops and in plant processes with potential economic value.

10) Does NSF allow both small and large projects under this solicitation?

Yes. NSF explicitly welcomes proposals at different scales, from single-investigator efforts to large, multi-investigator and multi-institution collaborations, as long as the scope matches the ambition and logistics of the work plan.

11) What types of approaches are especially encouraged?

The solicitation places special emphasis on innovation and encourages conceptually new approaches. It also highlights an ongoing need for new and creative methods, including novel experimental technologies and improved ways to analyze and interpret large genomic datasets.

12) Are new investigators or institutions encouraged to apply?

Yes. The solicitation encourages proposals from investigators and institutions that have not previously participated in PGRP.

13) Is training a priority in this solicitation?

Yes. Strong training components are prioritized, particularly when tightly integrated with the research and when they include cross-disciplinary experiences (for example, blending plant biology with computational genomics, statistics, engineering, or data science).

14) Are early career investigators encouraged to apply?

Yes. Early career investigators are encouraged to apply. The solicitation also notes alignment with NSF CAREER submissions and urges early career applicants to consult a PGRP Program Director for guidance.

15) What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?

This is a discretionary NSF funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism.

16) How much funding was expected to be available and how many awards were anticipated?

For FY 2010, NSF anticipated making about 25 awards from an estimated total of $20,000,000 in funding.

17) What were the minimum and maximum award sizes?

The award size range listed in the solicitation runs from a $100,000 floor up to a $10,000,000 ceiling.

18) Is cost sharing required?

No. Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

19) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to U.S. academic institutions and U.S. nonprofit research organizations (including museums, laboratories, professional societies, and similar entities) that are directly associated with education or research activities. Consortia made up only of those eligible organization types may also apply.

20) Are there special rules for multi-organization consortia?

Yes. Multi-organization consortia must submit a single proposal with one lead institution and the other participating organizations included as subawardees.

21) Are separately submitted collaborative proposals allowed?

No. Separately submitted collaborative proposals are not accepted under this solicitation and would be returned without review.

22) Can an ineligible organization participate as a subawardee?

No. The solicitation states that organizations that are ineligible to submit cannot participate as subawardees, effectively restricting the entire project team to eligible U.S.-based academic or nonprofit research entities.

23) What were the key dates for this solicitation?

The solicitation was posted on September 22, 2009. The full proposal target/closing date was January 26, 2010. The solicitation is archived, with an archive date of October 17, 2010.

24) What does it mean that the solicitation is archived?

Based on the information provided, the archived status indicates the opportunity is no longer active for submission under the listed dates and has been archived as of October 17, 2010.

25) What is the program trying to move beyond, according to the solicitation?

The opportunity is designed to push plant genomics beyond resource building alone and into deeper biological discovery and practical translation, while still reserving space for tool creation, new sequencing resources, and training models that expand participation and strengthen interdisciplinary capacity.