Plant Genome Research Program | 21 507

Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 507

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) is a discretionary grant opportunity focused on genome-scale plant research that tackles ambitious scientific questions with clear biological significance and potential societal or economic relevance. The program is designed to push beyond small, incremental studies by supporting projects that operate at genome-wide scale and depth, and that use creative, forward-looking approaches to understand plant biology. A central expectation is that the resulting genomic data and related outputs will be broadly useful to the plant research community: usable and accessible, well-integrated across different biological scales (for example, connecting genes to traits to environments), and capable of producing high-impact insights across biology.

PGRP also places strong weight on community-enabling work. Alongside discovery-driven research, the program explicitly encourages the development of innovative tools, technologies, and shared resources that make functional plant genomics easier, faster, more accurate, or more widely available. In other words, proposals are competitive when they either answer a big genome-enabled question in plant biology, or when they deliver technology or infrastructure that helps many researchers answer such questions in the future.

Training and people-focused components are not treated as optional add-ons. PGRP emphasizes that training, broadening participation, and career development are essential to scientific progress and should be integrated into every funded project. Applicants should therefore plan for meaningful education and workforce development activities as part of the core project design, rather than as a brief outreach section detached from the research plan.

The program currently offers two funding tracks. The RESEARCH-PGR track supports genome-scale research aimed at fundamental questions in plant biology, including questions tied to processes with economic and/or societal importance (for example, traits relevant to agriculture, sustainability, resilience, or plant-based products). The TRTech-PGR track supports tool, resource, and technology breakthroughs that further enable functional plant genomics, such as methods, platforms, datasets, community resources, or other innovations that expand what researchers can do at genome scale.

Administratively, this opportunity is run by NSF under Funding Opportunity Number 21-507, with activity category listed as science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 47.074). The funding instrument is a grant, eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full solicitation), and proposals are accepted anytime (no single deadline). NSF anticipates making about 15 awards. The listed award ceiling is 0, which typically indicates that a fixed maximum is not specified in the summary record and applicants should consult the solicitation and NSF norms for appropriate budget levels. The opportunity was created on Oct 06, 2020.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Plant Genome Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 06, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Proposals accepted anytime. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for 21 507

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