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RIDGE 2000 (NSF 09-527) Grant Opportunity FAQs

What is RIDGE 2000 (NSF Funding Opportunity No. 09-527)?

RIDGE 2000 is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant program in the Geosciences area (CFDA 47.050). It is focused on improving scientific understanding of the global mid-ocean ridge system through tightly integrated geological, geochemical, geophysical, hydrothermal, and biological research.

What scientific idea is the program built around?

The core idea is that life in deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments is closely connected to the movement of heat, chemicals, and materials from Earth's mantle through magmatic systems and hydrothermal circulation to the seafloor and ocean. The program treats mid-ocean ridges as coupled Earth systems where physical and chemical processes influence biological ecosystems.

What kinds of research disciplines does RIDGE 2000 support?

The solicitation emphasizes tightly integrated, cross-disciplinary work spanning geology, geochemistry, geophysics, hydrothermal processes, and biology. Examples mentioned include seismology and other geophysics, igneous and structural geology, geochemistry, hydrothermal fluid dynamics, and vent and microbial biology.

How did the program emphasis change in this solicitation?

Earlier phases supported coordinated field expeditions, laboratory work, and modeling focused on a small number of representative study sites. By the time of this announcement, the program shifted into an integration and synthesis phase, prioritizing bringing together results from prior and ongoing interdisciplinary campaigns and laboratory studies rather than prioritizing new field data collection.

What is the main goal of the integration and synthesis phase?

The intent is to integrate existing results and datasets to produce more unified conceptual models and more quantitative, testable understanding of how mid-ocean ridge processes operate and interact across geological, geophysical, hydrothermal, chemical, and biological components.

What types of proposals are expected to be most competitive under this solicitation?

Proposals are expected to emphasize cross-disciplinary integration and synthesis of existing datasets, and to advance frameworks linking geological and geophysical forcing to hydrothermal circulation, chemical fluxes, and ecosystem structure and function.

Does the solicitation prioritize collecting new field data?

Based on the description provided, the solicitation moves away from prioritizing new field data collection and toward integrating and synthesizing results already generated from prior and ongoing interdisciplinary campaigns and lab studies.

What NSF area and CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is in the NSF Geosciences area and is associated with CFDA 47.050.

What funding mechanism/category is this opportunity associated with?

It was offered as a discretionary NSF grant competition under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

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

NSF anticipated roughly 20 awards with an estimated total funding level of about $5.3 million.

What is the expected award size range?

Individual awards were expected to fall between $100,000 and $1,000,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What was the original proposal deadline?

The original proposal deadline listed was April 7, 2009.

Were there additional deadlines after the original due date?

Yes. The solicitation noted an annual deadline thereafter while it was active, with the solicitation described as active from 2009 to 2012.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

The record provided indicates the opportunity is archived, with an archive date of September 19, 2010.

Who is eligible to apply for the RIDGE 2000 research grants?

Eligibility covered a broad set of US-based organizations commonly eligible for NSF research programs, including accredited US universities and two- and four-year colleges (on behalf of faculty), US-based non-profit non-academic research and education organizations (such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies), and US for-profit entities including commercial organizations and small businesses with strong scientific or engineering research or education capabilities.

Are for-profit companies eligible to apply?

Yes. US for-profit entities were included as eligible organizations, including commercial organizations and especially small businesses with strong scientific or engineering research or education capabilities.

Are non-profit, non-academic organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The opportunity included US-based non-profit, non-academic research and education organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies.

Does the program include a postdoctoral fellowship component?

Yes. The opportunity referenced a Ridge 2000 Postdoctoral Fellowship component with additional eligibility constraints.

What are the eligibility constraints for the Ridge 2000 Postdoctoral Fellowship?

Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, must begin the award no more than two years after receiving the doctorate, and must have a commitment from a scientific sponsor at a host institution different from the applicant's prior PhD or doctoral training environment.

Does the solicitation mention limits on principal investigators (PIs) for certain proposal types?

For the main RIDGE 2000 Research Program elements, no specific PI limits were noted for proposals addressing Integrated Research Studies or Time Critical Studies.

What kinds of scientific outputs is the program aiming to produce?

The described aim is to produce more unified conceptual models and more quantitative, testable understanding of how mid-ocean ridge processes operate and interact, including links between solid Earth processes, hydrothermal circulation, chemical fluxes, and ecosystem structure and function.

How does RIDGE 2000 frame mid-ocean ridges scientifically?

It frames mid-ocean ridges not just as volcanic and tectonic features, but as dynamic, coupled Earth systems in which physical and chemical processes help create and shape deep-sea biological ecosystems.

Where can applicants find official administrative and program details?

The solicitation points to NSF Publication 09-527 for full administrative and program details, and references NSF grants.gov support for access or technical issues.