Directorate for Biological Sciences
Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)

FYI

A new Coordination Plan for the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) by the National Science and Technology Council's Interagency Working Group on Plant Genomes (IWG) is in development.  The IWG coordinates and provides oversight for the Federal investment in plant genome research through NPGI.  A link to the document will be posted at this site when available.

New NRC Report

Report in Brief "Achievements of the National Plant Genome Initiative and New Horizons in Plant Biology"  and full report now available

CONTACTS

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

08-607 Solicitation

DUE DATES

SYNOPSIS

This program is a continuation of the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) that began in FY1998 as part of the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI). The current five-year plan for the NPGI was published in January 2003 (http://www.nsf.gov/bio/pubs/reports/npgi2003/NPGI2003-2008.pdf). The overall goals of this program are to support basic research in plant genomics and to accelerate the acquisition and utilization of new knowledge and innovative approaches to elucidating fundamental biological processes in plants. The focus is on plants of economic importance and plant processes of potential economic value.

In the past eleven years 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, expressed sequence tags (ESTs), 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 now 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 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 2009: (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) 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) Heterosis Challenge Grants (HCG) to support testing of hypotheses for the mechanism(s) of heterosis in plants.

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). Early career investigators are strongly encouraged to contact a PGRP Program Director for further guidance.

FUNDED AS PART OF THIS ACTIVITY

Developing Country Collaborations in Plant Genome Research (DCC-PGR)

Maize Genome Sequencing Project: An NSF/DOE/USDA Joint Program

RELATED URLS

PGR Staff Directory

PGR Awards: 1998-2007

PGR Reports

Plant Genome Database (PlantGDB)

Plant Genomics Research Outreach Portal (PGROP)

Video: Secrets of Plant Genomes revealed

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

News

Discoveries