Sustainable Plant Research in AR as an Outgrowth of P3 EPSCoR
The P3 Program Development Grants (PDG)
BACKGROUND:
P3 Vision: The P3 Center is a dynamic statewide research consortium that supports strong
cross-disciplinary research into the biology underlying plant-based bioproduction and drives
innovative applications in areas of metabolic engineering, biomedical agriculture, biobased
products and agricultural sustainability.
History: The P3 Center has been funded by NSF-EPSCoR through its Research Infrastructure and
Improvement (RII) program, and the State of Arkansas, since 2007. Funding from NSF-EPSCoR is
awarded to P3 as part of the Arkansas Advancing and Supporting Science, Engineering and
Technology (ASSET) Initiative to the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (ASTA) which
manages the award, distributes funds to participating institutions, and coordinates statewide
activities. In 2010, the P3 Center was awarded funding from NSF-EPSCoR for an additional fiveyear cycle, totaling $6.7 million.
The P3 Center is focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms that drive the amazing
biosynthetic capacity of plants and define the intrinsic “set-points” that control & in some cases
limit the potential to synthesize and accumulate phytochemicals, valuable proteins, and
biomass. With the increasing impacts of climate change on food and energy security, creative
multidisciplinary approaches to agricultural sustainability and bioenergy have also emerged as
strengths within P3.
Research outcomes will impact important applications in plant biotechnology:
 Biofuels and biobased materials
 Metabolic engineering for human nutrition and health
 Metabolic engineering for agricultural sustainability and climate change
 High-value protein engineering and bioproduction
PURPOSE OF THE CURRENT CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
A key goal of the P3 Center is to facilitate long-term collaborations and excellence in plant
science research with impacts extending beyond the NSF EPSCoR award. The P3 Center’s
objective for these PDG awards is to facilitate program development and sustainability –
specifically, to serve as a catalyst for P3 participants and projects to gain follow-on funding.
Applicants are encouraged to be creative. Successful proposals will a) delineate a prospective
target for follow-on funding (or show how the PDG will help to identify the best target), b)
clearly build on P3 strengths (e.g., research areas, P3 instrumentation, student involvement, or
faculty expertise), and c) provide compelling justification as to how the P3 PDG will “make a
difference” to enhance competitiveness and develop opportunities. This grant program is a
mechanism to capitalize on the outstanding science generated by P3 participants and to create
an opportunity to look to the future. The P3 management team is announcing an open
competition for development funds that will allow faculty within P3 to propose projects that
conform to the proscribed criteria below.
Criteria: Faculty who want to compete for these funds must meet the following criteria:
 Address one of the topic areas listed below
 Be cross-institutional and if possible, cross-disciplinary
 Have faculty leadership with a publication record that supports the proposed project
 Show strong P3 connections (e.g., P3 instruments, expertise, or build from P3-supported
projects)
 Demonstrate how this funding will facilitate achieving an identified target project or
funding source
Topic Areas:
 Plant stress
 Molecules from plants affecting human health
 Plant productivity
 Bioenergy
 Big data
 Phenomics
 Photosynthesis and climate change
Budget and Justification:
Each applicant (proposal) may request up to $85,000 (DIRECT + INDIRECT costs) to support
his/her project. A budget justification must be submitted that describes how the money will be
spent. It should be noted that these are program development grants—focus on what the
group needs in order to compete for external funding. Examples might be research support to
develop key preliminary data, publication support to document collaborative productivity,
purchase of critical instrumentation, travel support for agency visits, or seminar/workshop
support to bring in key collaborators and/or national leaders. We invite you to be creative and
outcome oriented. Please be aware that these funds are to only be spent at AR ASSET partner
institutions. These funds are subject to campus indirect cost rates. PIs are encouraged to
negotiate any differences in those rates directly with their research offices.
Deadlines and Review:
Proposals are due on June 2, 2014. They will be reviewed by the members of the P3 Technical
Advisory Committee. The reviews will include the discretion of the TAC to combine projects
that are related. Funds are targeted to be awarded on August 1, 2014 and run through July 31,
2015. Each awarded project will be reviewed at 4 months and 8 months to ensure progress
toward goals and objectives. In some cases the efforts may be refocused in order to achieve
the maximum possible success.
Structure of the Proposals:
1. Each proposal should be a maximum of 5 single spaced pages with 1-inch margins and 11
point Arial type. This limit does not include references. The following content is required:
a. Project overview with background and significance. Clarify the relationship of the
project to P3 goals. State the follow-on funding targets of the project.
b. Objectives and approach. Described the specific aims of the PDG and the projected
activities that will support these aims.
c. Justification and expected outcomes. Describe how this funding will make a
difference for moving the project into “prime time’.
d. Project team. List campus collaborators and their roles.
2. Budget—use the grants.gov extract subaward budget pages to build the budget (form can
be found on the P3 web site). Submit a separate justification for each category of the
budget. Each participating campus must have a separate and approved budget with
justification. For successful projects, funds will be awarded directly to each participating
institution.
3. A 2 page CV in NSF format for the PIs.
Submission:
Each proposal and budget must be approved on each campus before submission to the
program on June 2. Approved proposals should be submitted as a single pdf document to
Emily Devereux edevereux@astate.edu by 5 pm on June 2.
Review Criteria:
1. Will the proposed activities empower follow-on funding opportunities and/or project
sustainability in P3 areas?
2. Does the proposal address all issues requested in the RFP?
3. Is the project understandable, executable, and cutting edge?
4. Are the PIs qualified to carry out the work and be competitive for follow-on funding?
5. Have the PIs put together an effective work plan that can be completed within 12 months?
6. Do the reviewers have any additional comments/suggestions for projects that are
fundable?