Title : DOE/NSF/USDA JOINT PROGRAM ON COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN PLANT BIOLOGY NSF Contact : BIR Type : Program Guideline Date : March 12, 1992 INTERAGENCY PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT DOE/NSF/USDA JOINT PROGRAM ON COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IN PLANT BIOLOGY Submission deadline: Proposals must be received by April 20, 1992 Projected award date: September 1992 - January 1993 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Research National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences U.S. Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Guidelines for Submission of Proposals INTRODUCTION The Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) announce their intent to support a new competitive awards program for research and training in plant biology beginning in fiscal year 1992. This new program, "Collaborative Research in Plant Biology" (CRPB), is a continuation of the collaboration that was begun by the 1988 DOE/NSF/USDA Plant Science Center's Program (PSC). The PSC program was initiated in recognition of the growing importance of plant biology research to the Nation's well-being and the need to promote multi-disciplinary approaches in plant biology. The program was also designed to take full advantage of rapidly advancing technologies that could further the state of plant biology. During the last five years, tremendous progress has been made on many fronts in plant biology. Yet, many fundamental problems remain as roadblocks to progress in implementation. Clearly, continued innovative efforts by the scientific community and the funding agencies working together are needed for resolution of major unresolved issues in agriculture, energy, environment, and biotechnological development. The combined experience derived from the PSC program and other programs such as the McKnight Foundation program, the USDA National Need Fellowship Program and the Arabidopsis Genome Research Initiative has identified some of the needs of the plant biology research community for special consideration, including; (1) continued efforts to attract the highest quality students to the field of plant biology, without necessarily increasing quantity, (2) mechanisms to support innovative research in areas not currently supported, (3) interdisciplinary research that involves a broad range of scientific fields, (4) better coordination among investigators working in the same field or toward common scientific goals, and (5) novel methods to encourage and improve collaboration among scientists. In consideration of all factors described above, DOE, NSF and USDA have established the Collaborative Research in Plant Biology (CRPB) Program. It is the intent of the three agencies to strengthen the foundation for future plant science in creating new ideas and methods, to foster the development of creative scientists trained in interdisciplinary research, to stimulate interest in research topics that need more attention, and in general to utilize the available funds for plant science research in the most effective manner to expedite research progress. While the three agencies have different missions, they are in agreement that the research community and the Nation will benefit by encouragement of collaborative efforts in new areas of research. In the first year of the CRPB competition, the program will support collaborating research groups through multi-institutional research coordination group awards and interdisciplinary research training group awards. These group activities should be centered on those research-related activities that cannot be supported as individual research grants. While the focus of the program is on fundamental plant biology, research approaches drawing on a broad range of scientific disciplines are encouraged. The three agencies are particularly interested in research topics that are not currently receiving sufficient attention or that are considered recalcitrant due to technical or conceptual impediments. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION A. Multi-institutional research coordination group awards: These awards will provide support for groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research efforts across institutional or geographical boundaries. The objectives are to facilitate open communication and exchange of information and resources, to integrate researchers working independently on topics of common interests, to nurture a sense of community among young scientists entering into a particular research area of plant biology, and to minimize isolation and over-competitiveness that lead to unnecessary duplication of efforts. Special features of the program are listed below and should be considered in preparation of a proposal: 1. Principal investigator. The coordinator of the proposed group assumes the responsibility of the principal investigator (PI). The PI shall be the designated contact person for the group and is expected to provide leadership in fully coordinating and integrating the activities of the group. The proposal may be submitted through the PI's institution or a professional society that is eligible to apply for grants at any of the three agencies. 2. The focus of research coordination. It is expected that the research coordination group has a common theme as a focus of their collaboration. One example would be a coordination centering around a research topic. Another example would be research coordination around a specific experimental system. The Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Research Project is an example of such research coordination. Any reasonable collaborative group will be considered by this program. 3. Group members. The size of a group will vary depending on the theme and the needs of the group. The group may be regional, national or international. Generally, in the case of an international coordination, primary support for foreign participants/activities must be secured through their own national programs. 4. Information and material sharing. There should be a clearly delineated understanding of individual members' rights to ideas, information, data and materials produced as a result of the CRPB awards. 5. Coordination mechanism. The specific roles and responsibilities of the coordinator and the other members must be clearly defined. It is essential that the mechanisms for allocating funds for various activities (i.e., steering committee) be clearly spelled out. The coordinating mechanism should include a means of periodically assessing progress of the activities. 6. Resource requirements. Funding level will depend on the requirements of coordinating activity proposed. Funds may be requested for such items as short visits among group member laboratories, exchange visits of students, seed money to test specific unexplored ideas that are central to the research focus of the group, organizing retreats of all participants, and establishment of a communication network or other means of communication within and outside the group. Other reasonable requests will be considered as long as they are well-justified in terms of the proposed activities. Funds from this program are not intended to support independent, individual research projects of the participants that are not directly related to the research focus of the group. Awards will be made for up to five years contingent upon availability of funds and satisfactory progress. Annual budget is expected to generally range from $50,000 to $100,000, and may not exceed $150,000 (including direct and indirect costs). B. Interdisciplinary Research Training Group Awards. The purpose of this competition is to assure availability of individual plant scientists capable of performing interdisciplinary and creative science. The projects must involve direct participation in research training on coherent research topic(s). Special points to be addressed in the proposals include: 1. Principal investigator. The organizer of the research training group should be designated as the principal investigator (PI) of the proposal. The PI will be responsible for both scientific and administrative aspects of the research training group. The number of official Co- PIs is limited to two. Other investigators in the group should be identified as participants. 2. Focus of the research training group. The size and the scope of the group are expected to vary depending on the specific plan and objectives of the proposed activities. Justification of how the proposed group will function as a coordinated multidisciplinary research training unit in relation to other existing programs at the institution is essential. Emphasis should be given to unique features of the proposed group that cannot be accomplished by funds provided by existing research and/or training grant programs or by the individual research grants of participating investigators. A brief description should be provided as to how the proposed research training group will contribute to strengthening the institutional capability in plant science. Any similar effort at the applicant's institution should be described with an evaluation of its effectiveness. 3. Participating investigators. Each participant in the group should provide a brief description of his/her role in the overall group research program and how each thinks the proposed group research training activity will benefit his/her own program specifically. Evidence of past and current interactions among the members should be described. 4. Research training plan and coordination mechanism. Describe the overall plan for the proposed group, with clear objectives and expectations for the program at the end of the five year funding period. The plan should provide for active participation by undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students in research, with special attention to fostering interdisciplinary aspects. A recipient of a graduate or postdoctoral fellowship from this award should be identified as a "DOE/NSF/USDA Plant Biology Graduate (or Postdoctoral) Trainee". Stipend recipients must be citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the U.S. The plan might also involve retraining of some of the investigators, seminar programs designed to expose students and other members to outstanding science related to the project topic area, interactions with industry, and visiting scientist programs. In addition, outreach activities could be included such as an intensive residential summer program for promising undergraduate students or individual research opportunities for local secondary school teachers. For each activity proposed, an implementation plan must be clearly outlined. The coordinating plan must include a means to review the progress of the research training group and its effectiveness with respect to the intent of the CRPB program. 5. Resource requirements. Funds may be requested to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, visiting scientists or seminar speakers, short visits to other laboratories to learn new techniques, seed money to allow research trainees to explore untested ideas central to the research topic of the group, purchase of equipment necessary for the use by the proposed research group, and any other well-justified activities that meet the intent of the program. Funds may not be used to support individual research projects of participating investigators that are separate and distinct from the research project of the group. Awards will be made for five years contingent on availability of funds and satisfactory progress. Annual budgets for the interdisciplinary research training groups are expected to average $300,000 with a maximum of $500,000 (including direct and indirect costs). In addition, up to $200,000 per award may be requested for specific items of equipment or other one-time special resource necessary for research training activities for the research group. WHO MAY SUBMIT All institutions eligible to receive support from the DOE Division of Energy Biosciences, the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences, or the USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program may submit proposals in response to this announcement. Only U.S. institutions are eligible to apply at all agencies, although non-U.S. institutions may participate as described earlier. Applicants are expected to show in their proposal, whenever appropriate, collaborations with industrial and government scientists. Involvement of relevant international community of scientists is also encouraged. Every reasonable effort should be made to increase the participation of members of groups under- represented in science. AWARDS Awards will be made for up to five years contingent upon availability of funds and satisfactory progress. The expected annual award amount generally ranges from $50,000 - $100,000 for the Research Coordination Group award and averages $300,000 for the Interdisciplinary Research Training Group award. (See under "PROGRAM DESCRIPTION" for details.) The total number and exact size of awards will depend on the advice of reviewers and on the availability of funds. It is anticipated for the first round of competition that sufficient funds will be made available to support approximately 5 research coordination group awards and approximately 5 interdisciplinary research training group awards. Further competitions will be considered in future years. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT Potential applicants are strongly advised to contact a program officer listed under the "CONTACT" section below and discuss their plans prior to preparing an application. The DOE, NSF and USDA have similar established proposal format and content guidelines. For the sake of convenience, the NSF forms and general guidelines as described in "Grants for Research and Education in Science and Engineering" (GRESE; NSF90-77) must be used for submission of proposals. The proposal must be typed or printed single-spaced on a single side of the page using one inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides. Use a typewriter or other letter quality printer with a typeface or font giving no more than 72 characters per line and 54 lines per page. Proposals that do not meet these requirements or do not adhere to required page limit described below will be returned without further consideration. 1. NSF Cover page (NSF Form 1207). Clearly indicate that the proposal is for the DOE/NSF/USDA Collaborative Research in Plant Biology Program. The title should reflect the kind of group award the proposal is intended for (i.e., "Research Collaboration Group on ---" or "Interdisciplinary Research Training Group on ---"). 2. Table of contents. 3. Project summary (200 words or less on a separate page). Indicate the name of the PI and institution, and the project title at the top of the page. 4. Project description (maximum 5 pages). Objectives, rationale and justification, relationships to past and current related activities, and research training or research coordination activities planned as applicable. Address relevant points to consider listed under "PROGRAM DESCRIPTION". Also consult the evaluation criteria below. 5. Organization and coordination (maximum 2 pages): Plans and procedures for the development and assessment of the proposed activity should be described. The plan should include use of a formal mechanism that assures the fair and equitable allocation of group resources. A person who assumes the leadership role must be clearly identified, and roles for all participating investigators should be clearly stated. 6. Budget (NSF form 1030). Provide a budget for each year of support requested as well as a separate, cumulative budget. See "PROGRAM DESCRIPTION" for specific details and GRESE for general guidelines in preparing the budget. Funds for facility renovation or for instrument installation or maintenance may not be requested. Indirect costs on awards are limited to 8% or institutional cost-sharing that provides for roughly the equivalent, except that no indirect costs will be allowed on funds for equipment or tuition remission. 7. Budget justification (maximum 2 pages). A brief justification for funds in each budget category should be provided. Any contributions from institution or other sources for the proposed project should be outlined in this section. If applicable, appropriate documentation of commitments by the institution and other sources should be provided as an appendix. 8. A description of existing facilities and equipment as appropriate. 9. Curriculum vitae of the PI and participating investigators. For each of the key personnel, provide a C.V., a list of up to 10 publications (to include the individual's 5 most important and up to 5 other relevant publications) and a complete list of all current and pending support. The latter information must be updated in a timely manner throughout the review process. Points described under "PROGRAM DESCRIPTION" that are relevant to this section should be addressed. The information may not exceed 2 pages per individual. 10. Additional information. a. One completed copy of NSF form 1225 "Information about Principal Investigators/Project Directors" for the PI. b. A list of current and past collaborators for key personnel, including the names and current positions of all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and anyone with whom the person co-authored a paper within the last 5 years. These items must be attached to the original copy of the proposal in front of the signed cover page. These items are for the agency's use only and will not be shared with the reviewers. Do not provide additional copies of these items. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Twenty copies of the proposal must be placed in a single package clearly marked "Three Agency CRPB Program" and mailed to: Three Agency CRPB Program Proposal Services Branch Cooperative State Research Service Rm 303 Aerospace Center U.S. Department of Agriculture Washington, DC 20250-2200 Telephone: (202)401-5045 If the proposal is to be hand-delivered or mailed through special mail services such as overnight express, the following street address and zipcode must be used: 901 D Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20024 Proposals must be received by the above office by April 20, 1992. Proposals received after the deadline may be returned without further consideration. Processing of proposals that do not conform to the above instructions will be delayed until all required information is received. The PI is responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the proposal as submitted. With the exception of the information requested under item 7 and 9 above, additional information or material may not be sent following proposal submission, unless specifically requested by the three agencies. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS The DOE, NSF and USDA use similar criteria in review of competitive grant proposals. They are described in the DOE document "Special Research Grants Program" (10 CFR part 605), the NSF document "Grants for Research and Education in Science and Engineering (NSF90-77), and the USDA document "National Competitive Research Initiative Grants Program; Administrative Provisions; Final Rule" (7 CFR Part 3200, November 14, 1991). For the Collaborative Research in Plant Biology program, proposals will be evaluated through a merit review process conducted jointly by DOE, NSF, and USDA, based on the agencies' criteria cited above. General criteria used in the evaluation of proposals are summarized below. These criteria will be interpreted in light of the objectives of this three agency program, and the most important criteria will be items 1 and 2. 1. Scientific merit, including appropriateness of approaches and methodologies, of the proposed activity. 2. Creativity and innovativeness; unique features of the proposal that take advantage of the new funding opportunities being offered in this program, including how the proposed activity would do more than could be accomplished by individual research grants. 3. Potential to contribute, in the long-term, to plant biology research in general, to the health of plant biology at a given institution, or to the advancement of a particular area of plant biology. 4. Competence of the personnel. 5. Soundness of the coordination and management plan; the level and nature of institutional and individual commitments to the proposed activity, the effectiveness of the coordination and management plan, and reasonableness and appropriateness of the budget. Final selection of awardees by the three agencies will be determined by the review panel's recommendations and programmatic considerations. Site visits may be made, if necessary. CONTACTS The following representatives from each of the three agencies can be contacted for further information or clarification. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the agency representative to discuss their plans prior to preparing an application. DOE: Dr. Robert Rabson Division of Energy Biosciences US Department of Energy ER-17, GTN, Washington D.C. 20545 Telephone: 301/903-2873 Fax: 301/903-6594 NSF: Dr. Machi Dilworth Div of Biological Instrumentation and Resources Directorate for Biological Science Rm 312 National Science Foundation 1800 G St, N.W., Washington D.C. 20550 Telephone: 202/357-7652 Fax: 202/357-7568 E-mail: mdilwort@nsf.gov (Internet) USDA: Dr. Anne Datko National Research Initiative Competitive Grants CSRS, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rm 323 Aerospace Center Washington D.C. 20250-2200 Telephone: 202/401-4871 Fax: 202/401-6488 While the three agencies will jointly administer the program throughout the entire phase from the receipt of proposals until the close-out of awards, each award will be funded solely by a single agency and that agency will become the point of contact during the term of the award. All successful projects will be identified as "A Unit of the DOE/NSF/USDA Collaborative Research in Plant Biology Program". The Foundation provides awards for research in the sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the results for publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation. The Foundation welcomes proposals on behalf of all qualified scientists and engineers, and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and research-related Programs described in this document. In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provides funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to conduct research. See the program announcement (NSF 84-62, revised 5/87) or contact the Program Officers for the Division of Molecular Biosciences (202) 357-9400) or the Division of Cellular Biosciences (202) 357- 7905). NSF has TDD (Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capability which enables individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Division of Personnel Management for information relating to NSF programs, employment, or general information. The number is 202/357-7492. The program described in this publication is in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: NSF - Number 47.051, Biological, Behavioral and Social Sciences. DOE - Number 81.049, Basic Energy Sciences, High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Magnetic fusion Energy, Health and Environmental Research, Program Analysis, Field Operations Management. USDA - Number 10.206, Competitive Research Grants Program. Privacy Act and Public Burden Statement The information requested on the application materials is solicited pursuant to the National Science Foundation act of 1950, as amended, and is of three types. Information related to citizenship, field of study and prior educational experience is used to determine the eligibility of applicants to apply in this competition. Personal data, such as social security number, are used in correlating application materials and transcripts, particularly for applicants with similar names. The remaining information, such as honors received, statements of study and career plans, and educational background assists reviewing panelists in evaluating the qualifications of applicants for this program. The information supplied will be used and disclosed only in connection with the selection of awards and their administration, and will not be disclosed for any other purpose, except as part of statistical reports in a form which would not allow identification of individual applicants, or in a formal announcement of awards made. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 12 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Herman G. 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