Published in Probe Volume 1(3-4): Fall-Winter 1991
Dr. Machi Dilworth, Program Director
Division of Instrumentation and Resources
National Science Foundation
Washington, DC
The initiative on Arabidopsis genome research was proposed in 1989 as part of an initiative on plant sciences by the Biological, Behavioral, and Social Sciences Directorate (BBS) of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through a series of workshops and meetings that involved scientists active in the international Arabidopsis research community, both academic and industrial, and the national funding agencies, a plan for the coordinated Arabidopsis genome research project emerged. The plan is described in the 1990 publication "A Long-Range Plan for the Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Research Project," (NSF 90-80).
Project Objectives
The primary objective of the project is to encourage a coordinated research effort for the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system for studies of the biology of flowering plants. As such, the scope of the project encompasses all areas of plant biology under the purview of the BBS. Specific objectives include (1) identification and characterization of the structure, function, and regulation of genes, (2) development of technologies for plant genome studies, (3) establishment of biological resource centers, (4) establishment of an informatics program, (5) development of human resources, and (6) support of workshops and symposia.
Agreement Signed
From the beginning, NSF intended the initiative to be a highly coordinated effort involving international collaboration among Arabidopsis researchers, integration of the Arabidopsis research community with the general plant biology research community, and close collaboration with other genome research projects. To facilitate this coordination, an interagency agreement was signed in June 1990 by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and NSF to collaborate and coordinate the Arabidopsis genome research efforts in the United States. The agreement designated NSF as the lead agency.
Proposal Reviews
In FY 1991, BBS received an additional funding of $4.4 million to support the Arabidopsis initiative. Since the existing BBS program structures were able to adequately review all the expected proposals that fell within the scope of the Arabidopsis genome research, no special review panels or programs were created for the new initiative. Each proposal was submitted to and reviewed by the appropriate programs.
Requests for supplements to the existing NSF grants for additional graduate or postdoctoral students or short-term research visits were reviewed by the program who had responsibility for the existing grant.
Infrastructural support such as the resource centers, informatics needs, postdoctoral fellowships, and the development of research tools and resources were handled by the Division of Instrumentation and Resources. The use of existing programs for review ensured that only those proposals that competed well with the rest of the proposals (i.e., non-Arabidopsis proposals which are the majority) would receive support under the new Arabidopsis initiative.
Support Continues
As various BBS programs had been receiving an increasing number of proposals that would fall under the purview of the Arabidopsis initiative, it was expected, and later shown to be true, that even with additional funds, all worthy proposals in the Arabidopsis genome research area could not be supported in FY 1991. NSF will continue the support of the Arabidopsis genome research initiative in FY 1992.
In addition to support for various scientific activities, NSF has supported the Arabidopsis genome research project by providing funds for meetings of the Multinational Science Steering Committee and for publications and distribution of the annual progress report. Through the Steering Committee, various national funding agencies have been involved in support of this international effort. As the designated lead agency for the U.S. effort, NSF maintains contact with its counterparts in other countries in order to facilitate the coordination efforts by the scientists.
Progress Documented
The first annual progress report for the Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Research Project was published in June 1991 (NSF 91-60). Remarkable progress is documented in the report. The progress is continuing at an accelerated pace. Most likely, the next annual progress report will have many new advances to report, particularly in the area of informatics.
The rapid advances of the Arabidopsis genome project can be attributed, in part, to the willingness of scientists to communicate and share information and resources. NSF staff hopes the Arabidopsis Genome Research Project will not only contribute to the advances in plant biology but also will serve as a model for multinational collaboration in plant biology research.