Grants Office
Director: Kimberly Gray
Grants Coordinator: Rita Patel

Volume 6, Issue 13
October 2009

Grant Writing Tips

* Read the criteria thoroughly, and address the criteria in the order presented. Your Reviewer Panel will be using the criteria as a guide when they read your proposal, so make it easy for them to give you full points.

* Have someone read your proposal as a reviewer would, with a copy of the criteria as their guide. Ask them to note inconsistencies and ambiguities.

* Even if the odds seem great against your proposal being funded, remember that you will receive Reader Comments to aid you in your next submission.

* Follow submission instructions exactly.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome Research Program

DUE: JAN 26

WEB: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5338

NSF-DOC: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf09611

In the past twelve years of this program, there has been a tremendous increase in the tools available for genomics in key crop plants and their models, including but not limited to, collections of expressed sequence resources, genome survey sequences, mutant collections, expression profiling resources, and tools for studying gene expression in situ.

High quality whole genome sequences and downstream tools are available for a number of key crops as well as widely-used model systems. This wealth of genomic resources makes it possible for researchers to begin to address some of the major unanswered questions in plant biology that have been intractable using traditional approaches as well as transfer findings from model systems into plants of economic importance. At the same time, there is a continued need for novel and creative tools to allow development of new experimental approaches or new ways of analyzing genomic data.

Proposals that present conceptually new and different ideas are encouraged, especially from investigators and institutions that have not participated in the PGRP before. In addition, proposals that provide strong and novel training opportunities integral to the research plan and particularly across disciplines are especially encouraged.

Four kinds of activity will be supported in FY 2010: (1) Genome-Enabled Plant Research (GEPR) awards to tackle major unanswered questions in plant biology on a genome-wide scale; (2) Transferring Research from Model Systems (TRMS) awards to apply basic biological findings made using model systems to studying the basic biology of plants of economic importance; (3) Tools and Resources for Plant Genome Research (TRPGR) awards to support development of novel technologies and analysis tools to enable discovery in plant genomics; and (4) Comparative Plant Genome Sequencing (CPGS) awards to support development of sequence resources to enable research in economically important crop plants and plant processes of potential economic value.

Proposals addressing these opportunities are welcomed at all scales, from single- investigator projects through multi-investigator, multi-institution projects, commensurate with the scope of the work proposed.

FUNDING: $20 million for 15-25 awards.

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