New Project Funding Available – Apply by March 10th

Applications are now CLOSED. Thank you to all who applied!

The IGI is requesting preproposals to fund innovative new research projects; see details below and apply by March 10, 2017.

Preproposals

Faculty who hold their primary or adjunct appointment at UCB, UCSF, LBNL, or UCD are invited to submit preproposals on topics that will expand the IGI initiatives in agricultural, microbiology, and societal issues (see Topics of Interest, below). We anticipate funding 8–10 proposals, not to exceed a total amount of $3M/year.

The purpose of the preproposals is to identify ideas that are within the scope and funding capabilities of the IGI, while minimizing the time and effort invested by applicants. Project grants awarded can vary in size based on scope of project but are generally expected to provide support for one or two researchers (graduate students, post docs, technicians, etc.) for up to three years. Equipment requests are unlikely to be covered. Matching contributions are not required but are welcome as long as they do not present conflicts due to contract terms (e.g. IP terms in an industry-sponsored award). If you have questions about potential matching funds, please contact us.

In addition to providing an introduction, background, anticipated outcomes, and project description, the preproposal should provide an estimate of the number of FTEs required to carry out the proposed research, the timeframe, and an estimated annual budget (direct costs only). The preproposal submission site allows users to enter text (1500 words/~3 pages) and upload supporting graphics. Preproposals submitted without the requested information will not be considered.

Preproposals will be reviewed for relevance to the research mission of the IGI, originality, potential impact, and feasibility. Because the area of genome editing is a rapidly expanding field, we will consider proposals that are exploratory and high risk if the potential for scientific breakthrough is high. PIs will be notified by email by the end of April as to whether preproposals are invited for full submission or declined, and feedback will be minimal.

Full Proposals

Faculty invited for full submission will be asked to submit a more detailed proposal (seven pages maximum) with a detailed budget and timeline by late May 2017. Full proposals will undergo confidential external peer review by colleagues with expertise in the subject matter of the proposals. Full proposals reviewed favorably for technical merit will be considered for funding by the IGI scientific review committee. We anticipate funding awards will be made by the end of July 2017.

PIs whose projects are selected for final funding may be asked to submit copies of any relevant intellectual property agreements or material transfer agreements they have signed, or are planning to sign, to ensure there are no conflicts with external parties.

Topics of Interest

In this inaugural call for proposals, we are seeking projects that will help expand new IGI initiatives in plants and microbes and lead to potential applications in agricultural and environmental sectors.

We welcome proposals in life science fields, the physical sciences, and computational biology, and also encourage proposals in broader areas, including social sciences, law, policy, and economics. Regardless of the field, PIs can and should propose groundbreaking ideas that relate broadly to genomics and genome editing and are complementary to, or build upon, currently-funded IGI research.

In addition to our broad interest in genome editing, we offer the following ideas for each area (in no particular order):

Agriculture/Plant Genomics:

• Stress response and disease resistance in developing world crops
• Disease and stress response in woody species
• Enhanced molecular delivery systems
• Advanced breeding tools 

Microbiology/Microbiomes:

• Understanding microbial communities
• Bioremediation of water sources
• Discovering new pathways and systems
• Industrial biotech applications

Cross-cutting Technologies:

• Understanding gene drive biology and/or applications thereof
• Developing new systems for gene editing
• Improving homology-directed repair in difficult contexts
• Tools to track and characterize genomic interventions

Social Science/Law/Policy/Economics:

• Regulation/use of new therapies
• Regulation/use of edited plants and/or microbes
• Socio-economic or agro-economic impacts

FOR QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

Susan Jenkins, Managing Director (sjenkins@berkeley.edu)