Plant Genome Research Program | 21 507

NSF Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) - FAQs

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

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) is a discretionary grant opportunity that supports genome-scale plant research. It is aimed at ambitious projects that address major scientific questions with clear biological significance and potential societal or economic relevance.

2) What kind of research does PGRP prioritize?

PGRP prioritizes projects that go beyond small, incremental studies. The program emphasizes genome-wide scale and depth, using creative and forward-looking approaches to understand plant biology and to generate high-impact insights.

3) What does "genome-scale" mean in the context of this program?

Based on the program description, "genome-scale" refers to research that operates at genome-wide scope (not limited to a small set of genes or narrow datasets) and that produces outputs with broad value to plant biology research.

4) What is meant by "clear biological significance"?

Projects should focus on questions that matter to understanding plant biology in a meaningful way. The emphasis is on work that can produce insights that are considered important across biology, rather than narrow or purely incremental findings.

5) Does PGRP require societal or economic relevance?

The program indicates that projects should have potential societal or economic relevance. For example, work may relate to agriculture, sustainability, resilience, or plant-based products, while still being grounded in fundamental plant biology.

6) What are the expected outputs from PGRP-funded projects?

A central expectation is that resulting genomic data and related outputs will be broadly useful to the plant research community. Outputs should be usable and accessible, and they should help enable research beyond a single project team.

7) How important is data accessibility and usability?

It is a core expectation. The program highlights that genomic data and related outputs should be accessible and broadly usable by the plant research community, indicating that sharing and practical utility are key competitiveness factors.

8) Does the program encourage integrating data across biological scales?

Yes. The program description specifically emphasizes integration across different biological scales, such as connecting genes to traits to environments, to generate deeper and more broadly applicable insights.

9) What is "community-enabling" work and why does it matter?

Community-enabling work refers to efforts that benefit many researchers, not just the proposing team. PGRP places strong weight on such work, including shared tools, resources, technologies, datasets, platforms, and other infrastructure that makes functional plant genomics easier, faster, more accurate, or more widely available.

10) Are tool and technology development projects allowed, or is the program only for discovery research?

Tool and technology development is explicitly encouraged. PGRP supports both discovery-driven genome-scale research and the development of innovative tools, technologies, and shared resources that enable functional plant genomics.

11) What are the two funding tracks in this opportunity?

The program offers two tracks: (1) RESEARCH-PGR and (2) TRTech-PGR. Each track targets a different type of project emphasis, as described in the solicitation summary.

12) What is the RESEARCH-PGR track intended to support?

The RESEARCH-PGR track supports genome-scale research aimed at fundamental questions in plant biology. It also includes questions tied to processes with economic and/or societal importance (for example, agriculture- or sustainability-relevant traits).

13) What is the TRTech-PGR track intended to support?

The TRTech-PGR track supports tool, resource, and technology breakthroughs that enable functional plant genomics. Examples described include methods, platforms, datasets, community resources, or other innovations that expand what researchers can do at genome scale.

14) How should applicants decide which track fits their project?

Based on the provided description, projects centered on answering a major genome-enabled biological question align with RESEARCH-PGR, while projects primarily focused on delivering enabling tools, resources, technologies, or infrastructure align with TRTech-PGR.

15) Is training required, or is it optional?

Training is not treated as an optional add-on. PGRP emphasizes that training, broadening participation, and career development are essential and should be integrated into every funded project.

16) What does it mean to integrate training into the "core project design"?

It means education, workforce development, broadening participation, and career development activities should be planned as meaningful parts of the project, rather than included as a short, disconnected outreach section.

17) Who can apply for this NSF opportunity?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any eligibility clarifications in the full solicitation.

18) What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?

The funding instrument is a grant.

19) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 21-507.

20) What is the activity category and CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development. The CFDA listing provided is 47.074.

21) When are proposals due?

Proposals are accepted anytime, meaning there is no single deadline listed in the summary information provided.

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

NSF anticipates making about 15 awards.

23) Is there a maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The listed award ceiling is 0. This 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.

24) When was this opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on Oct 06, 2020.

25) What makes a proposal competitive in PGRP based on the summary provided?

Based on the description provided, competitive proposals tend to (a) answer a big, genome-enabled question in plant biology with clear significance, and/or (b) deliver enabling technology or infrastructure that benefits the broader community. They also emphasize producing accessible, broadly usable outputs and integrating meaningful training and workforce development into the project.