RESEARCH & EDUCATION PROGRAMS - NSF IOS Programs for Plant Biologists

The following information is provided by Gerry Berkowitz of the NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.  Gerry took the initiative in providing this information and said he hopes this will inform plant biologists that many of the research activities formally supported by the Integrative Plant Biology Program within IOS at NSF are now covered by the Processes, Structures and Integrity Program.  Gerry forwards program descriptions from the NSF web page copied below the following paragraph he wrote. He notes that this information may assist scientists find a correct ‘home’ for their grant proposals.  We appreciate Gerry taking the lead on this and writing up all of this information. 

Research Funding Opportunities at the National Science Foundation

This note is sent (from Gerry Berkowitz) to make sure all interested scientists working in the field of plant biology are aware of funding opportunities within the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) at NSF. Scientists preparing proposals to meet the next NSF target date (listed as January 12, but since the 12th is a Saturday, the effective date is Monday January 14th) could consider listing the ‘Processes, Structures and Integrity’ programmatic area as a possible review venue. Of course, the Cluster and Program descriptions listed on the NSF web site (copied below) could be one source of information to guide your submission. However, the cluster and program descriptions are written in a general context, and it may help you to have some more specific information. I am a Program Director, along with Dr. Mary Chamberlin, administering Processes, Structures and Integrity within the Physiological and Structural Systems (PSS) Cluster in IOS. Among other activities, this programmatic area supports research activities that were formerly supported by the Integrative Plant Biology Program (see a full description below). Examples of the kinds of research themes covered during the previous funding cycle include; hormone biology, mechanisms underlying plant cell and organ growth, reactive oxygen species effects on plant physiological processes, ion and metabolite transport, organelle retrograde signaling, MAPK signaling, cell wall synthesis, regulation of developmental processes, including reproductive structures, programmed cell death and senescence mechanisms, stomatal physiology, small molecule/metabolite signaling effects on plant development and physiological processes, and secondary metabolite biochemistry. Research projects aimed at furthering our fundamental understanding of integrated whole-plant structure and function may include molecular approaches, as well as studies at the protein and cell levels. Proposals that focus on plant-microbe interactions should be submitted to the ‘Symbiosis, Defense and Self-recognition’ programmatic area within the PSS Cluster, and proposals that focus on plant response to abiotic stress and plant-environment interactions should be submitted to the ‘Organism-Environment Interactions’ programmatic area of the Cluster. Feel free to contact me (gberkowi@nsf.gov; phone: 703-292-7879) if you have any questions.

From the NSF web page):
The Physiological and Structural Systems Cluster supports research aimed at furthering the understanding of organisms as integrated units of biological organization.  The Cluster considers proposals focused on interacting physiological and structural systems, their environmental and evolutionary contexts, and how these components are constrained by their integration into the whole organism.  Projects that use systems approaches to understand why particular patterns of architecture and regulatory control have emerged as general organismal properties are particularly encouraged.  Understanding how and why emergent organismal properties such as robustness, adaptability and resilience arise in the context of environmental, genetic, biochemical and morphological variation are of interest.  The Cluster encourages model building to augment traditional experimental approaches in order to guide research on complex functional networks.  Multidisciplinary approaches to the study of organismal systems including research at the interfaces of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and engineering are encouraged in each of the following areas.
Processes, Structures and Integrity - The focus of this programmatic area is on understanding the unity of organisms as complex systems through studies of coherent, structural and functional properties and interactions.  Systems approaches that predict or reveal the nature of coordination among functional processes and/or structural components as a means to further the understanding of organismal integrity and emergent properties are particularly encouraged.
Symbiosis, Defense and Self-recognition - This programmatic area supports research on the processes and structures that mediate intimate interactions between two or more organisms.  Proposals are encouraged that focus on the dynamics of initiation, dissolution and stability of these complex associations through studies of underlying processes of communication, immunological recognition and signaling, feedbacks, and reciprocal responses between interactors.  All aspects of symbiosis, including commensalisms, mutualisms, parasitism and host-pathogen interactions are included.
Organism-Environment Interactions - The focus of this programmatic area is on the structures and processes that affect organismal performance and interactions during routine, changing, or stressful environmental conditions.  The program seeks proposals aimed at understanding how interactions among genetic, biochemical, morphological and physiological processes result in integrated organismal responses.  Increasing emphasis is placed on understanding how and why such interactions result in emergent properties such as adaptability, plasticity, and robustness (i.e., both resistance and resilience).  Special emphasis is placed on projects that adopt systems approaches, including quantitative and qualitative analysis, theoretical models and prediction to understand the dynamics and control of organismal responses to the environment from near term to evolutionary time frames.