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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)

What is the NSF Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)?

The Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that funds genome-scale research in plant genomics. The program focuses on difficult, high-impact biological questions that are clearly relevant to society, with an emphasis on ambitious projects that can shift how the broader community studies plants and plant-related biological processes.

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 47.074.

What kinds of projects does PGRP prioritize?

PGRP prioritizes genome-wide plant genomics research and tool/resource development that address high-impact questions. The program places strong value on work that thinks big (genome-scale), uses or creates cutting-edge approaches, and generates outcomes that enable the broader community to study plant genomes and biological processes in new ways.

Does PGRP focus on generating new data, or can it support projects that use existing data?

The program supports both, depending on the track. Some projects are expected to generate plant genomics data that is usable and accessible, while the MINE-PGR track specifically emphasizes reusing and extracting new value from existing large-scale datasets rather than generating new data.

What does PGRP mean by “genome-scale” research?

Within PGRP, “genome-scale” refers to work that operates at a genome-wide level rather than focusing narrowly on a single gene or small set of loci. The intent is to support research that connects genotype to phenotype and helps explain complex biological systems and interactions using broad, genome-wide approaches.

What is the program’s emphasis on tools, technologies, and shared resources?

A major theme of PGRP is developing innovative tools, technologies, and shared resources that expand what researchers can do in plant genomics. The program explicitly values efforts that increase the community’s capacity to interrogate plant genomes, connect genotype to phenotype, and understand complex biological systems and interactions.

What does “usable and accessible” data mean in this program?

PGRP expects outputs such as plant genomics datasets to be well organized, broadly shareable, and designed for integration across different scales of biology. This includes enabling connections from molecular variation to organismal traits, ecology, or agricultural performance, and supporting integration with other resources.

Is the program focused only on basic research, or does it also care about societal relevance?

PGRP is grounded in fundamental discovery while also requiring clear relevance to society. The program highlights systems and outcomes tied to agriculture, bioenergy, sustainability, resilience to stress, and other societally meaningful goals, while maintaining a strong focus on advancing fundamental plant biology.

Are certain plants or topics specifically prioritized?

The program continues to prioritize plants of economic importance and biological processes and interactions that have broad significance. This aligns with research that matters for agriculture, bioenergy, sustainability, and stress resilience, among other areas with clear societal relevance.

What are the active funding tracks within PGRP?

NSF lists four active funding tracks under PGRP: RESEARCH-PGR, TRANSFORM-PGR, MINE-PGR, and Career Advancement (ECA-PGR and MCA-PGR).

What is RESEARCH-PGR?

RESEARCH-PGR supports genome-scale plant research and/or tool development aimed at fundamental questions in plants of economic importance, explicitly at a genome-wide scale.

What is TRANSFORM-PGR?

TRANSFORM-PGR consists of Plant Transformation Challenge Grants intended to overcome major constraints in plant transformation. The goal is to drive breakthrough discoveries that remove technical bottlenecks limiting genetic manipulation across plant species.

What is MINE-PGR?

MINE-PGR focuses on Data Mining Challenge Grants that reuse existing large-scale datasets to extract new value. These projects are designed to unlock new insights by creatively integrating, reanalyzing, or repurposing available genomic resources rather than generating new datasets.

What is the Career Advancement track (ECA-PGR and MCA-PGR)?

The Career Advancement track includes early-career awards (ECA-PGR) and mid-career awards (MCA-PGR). These awards are intended to help researchers build or reshape their careers in plant genomics, reinforcing the program’s focus on sustaining and expanding the field’s human capital.

How important is workforce development and training in PGRP proposals?

Workforce development is treated as a central component of PGRP, not an add-on. Proposals are expected to consider how the project will contribute to training, career advancement, and building interdisciplinary expertise in areas such as genomics, computation, statistics, engineering, and experimental biology.

Does PGRP prefer projects with broad community impact?

Yes. The program emphasizes outputs that can shift the broader community’s ability to study plants, including transferable methods, widely useful datasets, and shared resources. PGRP also highlights impact beyond plant science when methods or datasets can be transferred to other organisms, research areas, or applied settings.

Who runs this grant opportunity?

This opportunity is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What is the award ceiling for PGRP?

The listed award ceiling is $10,000,000.

How many awards does NSF expect to make under this opportunity?

The opportunity estimates approximately 20 awards.

When can proposals be submitted?

Proposals are accepted anytime, indicating an open submission window rather than a single annual deadline.

What is listed for eligibility?

Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others,” with additional clarification referenced in the official eligibility text. This typically means applicants should consult the full solicitation for the specific institutional or organizational requirements.

What is the overall goal of PGRP across all tracks?

Across tracks, PGRP is structured to fund ambitious, genome-scale plant genomics work that combines fundamental discovery with strong community value through tool and resource development, usable data outputs, and robust training and career development components.