Plant Genome Research Program

This program is a continuation of the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) that began in FY 1998 as part of the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI). A new five-year plan for the NPGI was published in January 2009 (http://www.nsf.gov/bio/pubs/reports/npgi_five_year_plan_2009_2013.pdf). The goal of the NPGI is to develop a basic knowledge of the structures and functions of plant genomes and translate this knowledge to a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of economically important plants and plant processes of potential economic value. By bridging basic research and plant performance in the field, the NPGI will accelerate basic discovery and innovation in economically important plants and enable enhanced management of agriculture, natural resources, and the environment to meet societal needs. Since the inception of the PGRP, 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 2011: (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) Improving Plant Genome Annotation (IPGA) to improve existing tools or develop new tools for improved annotation of the genomes of plants of economic importance. 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.The PGRP encourages proposals from early career investigators and also considers proposals submitted to the CAREER program (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214&org=BIO). Early career investigators are strongly encouraged to contact a PGRP Program Director for further guidance.