Title: Assembling the Tree of Life (ATOL)
Date: 12/22/08
Replaced: NSF 08-515

Assembling the Tree of Life (ATOL)

Program Solicitation
NSF 09-522

Replaces Document(s):
NSF 08-515

[NSF Logo]  National Science Foundation

            Directorate for Biological Sciences
                 Division of Environmental Biology

            Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering

            Directorate for Geosciences

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

     March 23, 2009

REVISION NOTES

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
(PAPPG), NSF 09-1, was issued on October 1, 2008 and is effective for
proposals submitted on or after January 5, 2009.  Please be advised that
the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1 apply to proposals submitted in
response to this funding opportunity.  Proposers who opt to submit prior to
January 5th, 2009, must also follow the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1.

One of the most significant changes to the PAPPG is implementation of the
mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act.  Each proposal that
requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include, as a
separate section within the 15-page project description, a description of
the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals.
Proposals that do not include a separate section on mentoring activities
within the Project Description will be returned without review (see the
PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II.C.2.d for further
information).

Revisions to NSF 08-515 include extension of the competition for 2009 and
minor edits to clarify the text.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Program Title:

     Assembling the Tree of Life  (ATOL)
     To construct an evolutionary history for all species of life.

Synopsis of Program:

     A flood of new information, from whole-genome sequences to
     detailed structural information to inventories of earth's biota
     to greater appreciation of the importance of lateral gene
     transfer in shaping evolutionary history, is transforming 21st
     century biology. Along with comparative data on morphology,
     fossils, development, behavior, and interactions of all forms of
     life on earth, these new data streams make even more critical the
     need for an organizing evolutionary context. Phylogeny, the
     genealogical map for all lineages of life on earth, provides an
     overall framework to facilitate biological information retrieval,
     prediction and analysis. Currently, single investigators or small
     teams of researchers are studying the evolutionary pathways of
     heredity usually concentrating on taxonomic groups of modest
     size. Assembly of a framework phylogeny, or Tree of Life, for all
     1.7 million described species requires a greatly magnified
     effort, often involving large teams working across institutions
     and disciplines. This is the overall goal of the Assembling the
     Tree of Life activity. The National Science Foundation announces
     its intention to continue support of creative and innovative
     research that will resolve evolutionary relationships for large
     groups of organisms throughout the history of life. Investigators
     also will be supported for projects in data acquisition,
     analysis, algorithm development and dissemination in
     computational phylogenetics and phyloinformatics.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

   * Maureen Kearney, 635N, telephone: (703) 292-7187, email:
     mkearney@nsf.gov

   * ATOL Working Group, telephone: 703-292-8480, email: BIO-atol@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

   * 47.050 --- Geosciences
   * 47.070 --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering
   * 47.074 --- Biological Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    3 to  6   awards anticipated in Fiscal Year
2009

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $12,000,000  is the anticipated budget
available to the program in FY 2009, pending the availability of funds.
Each award, whether single-institution or collaborative project, may range
up to $3 million total, for durations up to five years.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit:

     None Specified

PI Limit:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:

     None Specified

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

   * Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

   * Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable

   * Full Proposals:

        * Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award
          Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG)
          Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available
          electronically on the NSF website at:
          http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg.

        * Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov
          Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of
          NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF
          Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov
          website and on the NSF website at:
          http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/grantsgovguide607.pdf)

B. Budgetary Information

   * Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this
     solicitation.

   * Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  Not Applicable

   * Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

   * Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

          March 23, 2009

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:   National Science Board approved criteria.
Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of
this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:   Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full
text of this solicitation for further information.

Reporting Requirements:   Additional reporting requirements apply. Please
see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

     Summary of Program Requirements

  I. Introduction

 II. Program Description

III. Award Information

 IV. Eligibility Information

  V. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
       A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
       B. Budgetary Information
       C. Due Dates
       D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements

 VI. NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures
       A. NSF Merit Review Criteria
       B. Review and Selection Process

VII. Award Administration Information
       A. Notification of the Award
       B. Award Conditions
       C. Reporting Requirements

VIII.Agency Contacts

 IX. Other Information

I. INTRODUCTION

Darwin's vision of the "great Tree of Life ... with its everbranching and
beautiful ramifications" has challenged scientists and others for
generations. Darwin's use of tree imagery inspired efforts to classify all
the major groups of organisms, and to reveal the pattern of historical
relationships that would explain the similarities and differences among
them. Phylogenetic knowledge, by virtue of its explanatory power, has
proven useful in many fields, such as choosing experimental systems for
biological research, tracking the origin and spread of emerging diseases
and their vectors, bioprospecting for pharmaceutical and agrochemical
products, preserving germplasm, targeting biological control of invasive
species, and evaluating risk factors for species conservation and ecosystem
restoration. At the same time, progress in many disciplines from genomics
to evolution and development is currently hampered by the lack of a
rigorous phylogenetic framework to guide research.

Currently, the large-scale features of life's genealogy have been captured
in the three-domain model of Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota, but
relationships of many groups of organisms remain unanalyzed and unresolved.
Patterns of phylogeny within the domains and within most phyla, the extent
of web-like reticulate connections among lineages, and the tempo and mode
of evolutionary change remain unknown for most species on earth. Despite
the enormity of the task, with 1.7 million described species and the
likelihood of vastly more yet to be discovered, now is the time to
reconstruct the tree of life: the conceptual, computational and
technological tools are available to resolve most, if not all major
branches of the tree of life. Researchers in biological and computational
fields have recognized both the need and the potential for success and have
called for a national and international effort to Assemble the Tree of
Life. There are currently five general goals:

  1. To scale up the numbers of taxa and data sets beyond current practice
     with an emphasis on acquisition and integration of molecular,
     morphological, and physiological evidence on extant and extinct
     organisms in order to resolve phylogenetic relationships of large
     taxonomic group;

  2. A strong focus at this point is on major taxonomic groups not yet
     addressed by current or previous AToL projects, for example, major
     groups of prokaryotes, protists, lower invertebrates and viruses. This
     includes support of research to understand the role and importance of
     lateral gene transfer and reticulation in evolutionary history, as
     well as the development of methods and theory that will address this
     important issue in phylogenetic research and phyloinformatics;

  3. Research on and development of tools for computational phylogenetics
     and phyloinformatics. These projects might include the archiving and
     managing of phylogenetic data, matrices, trees and networks;
     collaborative work environments for large scale systematics; software
     development to improve construction, visualization and navigation of
     the Tree of Life; assessment of empirical support and uncertainty in
     trees and networks; and exploration of the predictive capabilities of
     hierarchical structure in the Tree of Life; and

  4. Coordination across different AToL projects, including data sharing
     and collaborations, identification of 'core' genes
     conserved across major groups that can be used in analyses across all
     major lineages of the ToL, identification of mechanisms that ensure a
     coordinated approach to data collection across various AToL projects;

  5. Outreach and education in comparative phylogenetic biology and
     paleontology, emphasizing new training activities, informal science
     education, and Internet resources and dissemination.

Examples of awards that met these goals can be accessed at
http://www.nsf.gov/bio/award.htm.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Projects for Assembling the Tree of Life are expected to be ambitious,
large scale, and when appropriate to involve multiple investigators from
multiple disciplines, likely from multiple organizations, and to include
training, outreach, and dissemination components. Tree of Life projects
that are taxon-oriented will focus on phylogenetic resolution of large
lineages or clades; this taxon focus is not intended to deflect interest in
and attention to theoretical or analytical issues, particularly when the
clade under study raises critical questions about the suitability or power
of current phylogenetic methods of analysis, such as complexities caused by
reticulate evolution and lateral gene transfer. Major taxonomic groups that
have not yet been addressed by current or previous AToL projects are
currently an emphasis of this program. In addition to hypothesis-driven
work, Tree of Life projects may also be method or theory-oriented, in which
case they will address major analytical or computational problems in
phylogenetic research and phyloinformatics. The taxon-focus and
method-focus approaches described here are intended for guidance only, and
not as constraints on innovative projects for Assembling the Tree of Life.

Tree of Life projects that are taxon-oriented should address the following
issues:

   * the taxonomic scope of research, with justification for the proposed
     large-scale approach beyond the scope of current single-investigator
     or small-team projects, as well as summaries of current classification
     (including identification of specialists in the taxa) and current
     phylogenetic knowledge of the group and closest relatives, fossil
     record and its concordance with patterns of evolutionary divergence,
     major collections or stocks or cultures and their availability for the
     study, and Internet resources relevant to these organisms;

   * comprehensive plans for sampling and data collection, including choice
     of taxa and samples, types of data (genomic, morphological, other
     phenotypic data), retrospective data capture, procedures for
     acquisition and quality control for new data especially automatic or
     high-throughput data, curation and vouchering of specimens and
     cultures (and extracts, images, etc.), and databasing of observations
     and associated specimens and cultures with appropriate annotation and
     Internet access; and

   * description and justification of data analyses, with specific plans
     for dissemination of results, and including attention to tree-search
     criteria, data combinability and congruence, strategies for handling
     large data sets and for concatenating trees (if necessary), evaluation
     of tree robustness and of alternative topologies or networks, and
     archiving of datasets (specimens, characters, nomenclature, trees,
     character-by-taxon matrices), along with description of computer and
     software resources and expertise available to the project.  Knowledge
     of, contribution to, and explicit coordination with appropriate major
     global database and portal efforts to disseminate taxonomic data are
     expected.

Tree of Life projects that are method or theory-oriented should address the
following issues:

   * description and justification of research in computational
     phylogenetics and phyloinformatics, on problems such as data
     acquisition and management, alignment and analysis of gene order,
     combinability of data whether genomic or morphological or both,
     tree-search or network strategies with very large datasets, measures
     of robustness and support, methods for linking or concatenating trees
     ("supertrees"), evaluating molecular clock estimates, integrating
     fossil evidence, and assessing empirical support and alternative
     topologies; hardware and software resources required for the project
     should be described, with plans for dissemination of products
     developed from the project;

   * description and plans for archiving and managing data, trees, networks
     and associated character matrices and analytical methods from
     completed or ongoing phylogenetic projects, including development of
     efficient Internet tools for data submission from researchers in the
     community or other sponsors of phylogenetic research results; current
     NSF awardees conducting phylogenetic research are identifiable from
     the FastLane award abstracts posted on the NSF website
     (http://fastlane.nsf.gov/);

   * development of software for phylogenetic reconstruction, navigation,
     visualization, and query throughout the hierarchy of the Tree of Life
     and for data mining of associated character-by-taxon matrices
     developed as part of the project or available in other biological
     databases; and

   * development of databases of taxonomic or clade-based names, including
     names at upper ranks of the formal hierarchies, with associated
     taxonomic synonyms and vernacular equivalents in the major
     international languages, to facilitate sophisticated query and data
     mining functions; this activity should be closely coordinated with
     global efforts in this area and should include the use of globally
     recognized data standards, with appropriate metadata, and service, or
     update to, at least one major electronic database or portal.  Broad
     coordination with multiple providers is strongly encouraged.

Regardless of approach taken, whether taxon-oriented or method-oriented, a
mix or otherwise, all proposals for Assembling the Tree of Life should
address the following issues including submission of a Management Plan:

   * training and outreach activities, including field, laboratory, and/or
     museum experience for trainees, as well as communication among team
     members and expansion of the group if justified, integration with
     colleagues not formally part of the group whether national or
     international, and efforts to disseminate results to the public as
     well as to scientific communities. Hosting of workshops and other
     service activities are encouraged, to disseminate best-practices
     resulting from the project, new software, and other products.
     Activities designed to encourage participation of investigators at
     small institutions, minority serving institutions, community colleges,
     and secondary school teachers are encouraged; and

   * a Management Plan should identify personnel responsible for all major
     tasks with time-scheduling across all members of the team for the
     duration of the project, with annual milestones for judging
     productivity and progress; describe curatorial, computational,
     sequencing, and informatic facilities and resources; describe the
     database schema, if databases are being created as part of the
     project, including database design and metadata standards, interface
     for Internet query, and plans for maintenance beyond the duration of
     the grant, with identification of personnel charged with technical
     design and implementation; and describe plans for coordination with
     foreign-based projects on the same or related organisms. The
     Management Plan may be up to 5 pages in length and is in addition to
     the 15-page Project Description, and should be submitted in the
     Supplementary Documentation section of FastLane. For Grants.gov users,
     supplementary documents should be attached in Field 11 of the R&R
     Other Project Information Form.

III. AWARD INFORMATION

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration
are subject to the availability of funds. Three to six awards are
anticipated in FY 2009, made as standard or continuing grants, from the
anticipated $12 million in FY 2009 available to the program. Each award,
whether single-institution or collaborative project, may range up to $3
million total, for durations up to five years.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National
Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I,
Section E.

Organization Limit:

     None Specified

PI Limit:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

     None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI:

     None Specified

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit
proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants.gov or via
the NSF FastLane system.

   * Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response
     to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in
     accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant
     Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available
     electronically on the NSF website at:
     http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies
     of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse,
     telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are
     reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program
     solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National
     Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to
     determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to
     submit this information may delay processing.

   * Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in
     response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be
     prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov
     Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF
     Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov
     Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the
     NSF website at:
     (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/grantsgovguide607.pdf). To obtain
     copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click
     on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step
     1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions
     link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program
     solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download
     Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also
     may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone
     (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and
submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate
submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via the NSF
FastLane system. Chapter II, Section D.3 of the Grant Proposal Guide
provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

The following instructions supplement GPG or NSF Grants.gov Application
Guide guidelines.

Results from Prior NSF Support:

Be aware that if any PI or co-PI on the project has received NSF funding in
the past five years, information on the prior award(s) is required. Each PI
and co-PI who has received more than one prior award (excluding amendments)
must report on the award most closely related to the proposal. The
information required is described in the GPG and the NSF Grants.gov
Application Guide. Reviewers will be asked to comment on the quality of the
prior work described in this section of the proposal. Please note that the
proposal may devote up to five pages to describe the results, within the
maximum 15 pages of Project Description. Results may be summarized in fewer
than five pages, which would leave the balance of the 15 pages for the
Project Description.

Management Plan for Assembling the Tree of Life:

A Management Plan, up to 5 pages maximum, as described in the Program
Description, should be included in the Supplementary Documentation section
of the FastLane proposal. For Grants.gov users, supplementary documents
should be attached in Field 11 of the R&R Other Project Information Form.
This section, therefore, is in addition to the 15 pages of Project
Description in the proposal, and should be coordinated with the research
and education activities therein described.

Coordination among Projects for Assembling the Tree of Life:

If phylogenetic research on the chosen group of organisms is already funded
by another NSF award (check the NSF FastLane website for award listings),
the PI will be asked to provide a plan for coordinating activities with the
funded project. If two or more proposals with substantially overlapping
goals and scope remain in consideration for funding after initial merit
review, the PIs of those proposals may be asked to collaborate, and to
submit a coordination plan prior to the final funding decision.

International Opportunity:

The Tree of Life activity encourages laboratory-to-laboratory interactions
between U.S. and foreign organizations to address Tree of Life goals. NSF
funds may be requested to support foreign investigators and students to
work in U.S. laboratories, and for U.S. investigators and students to work
in international laboratories. However, foreign counterparts should secure
support for their projects from their own national programs.

A "Conflicts of Interest" Document:

A "Conflicts of Interest" document must be included in the "Additional
Single Copy Documents" section of the proposal. Include a table, in the
format shown below, that lists the names of persons with conflicts of
interest for all senior personnel (PI and co-PIs) and any named personnel
whose salary is requested in the project budgets. Conflicts to be
identified are: (1) Ph.D. thesis advisor or advisee; (2) postdoctoral
adviser or advisee for the previous 48 months; (3) collaborators or
co-authors for the past 48 months; and (4) any other individual or
organization with which the investigator has financial ties (please
specify). Organize the information as shown in the sample table here; list
full names in each column in alphabetical order.

Last Name    First Name     Institution          Conflict Type
                               

Apple        Alison A.       Red College          Ph.D. advisor for (Name)
         
Barley       Barry B.        Brown Institute      Collaborator for (Name)
          
Raspberry    Rudy R.         White University     Financial ties with co-PI2 
                                                  (Name)

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

C. Due Dates

   * Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

          March 23, 2009

D. FastLane/Grants.gov Requirements

   * For Proposals Submitted Via FastLane:

     Detailed technical instructions regarding the technical aspects of
     preparation and submission via FastLane are available at:
     https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user
     support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail
     fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical
     questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific
     questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to
     the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
     funding opportunity.

     Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized
     Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the
     proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications
     (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing
     of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic
     certifications within five working days following the electronic
     submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this
     process are available on the FastLane Website at:
     https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.

   * For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:

     Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must
     register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the
     applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the
     Grants.gov website. The Grants.gov's Grant Community User Guide is a
     comprehensive reference document that provides technical information
     about Grants.gov. Proposers can download the User Guide as a Microsoft
     Word document or as a PDF document. The Grants.gov User Guide is
     available at:
     http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov
     Application Guide provides additional technical guidance regarding
     preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support,
     contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email:
     support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general
     technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific
     questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to
     the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this
     solicitation.

     Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the
     Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the
     application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity
     and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then
     sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed
     application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further
     processing.

VI. NSF PROPOSAL PROCESSING AND REVIEW PROCEDURES

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where
they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements.
All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator
serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other
persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by
the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with
the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names
of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the
proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These
suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at
the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is
optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of
interest with the proposal.

A. NSF Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science
Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the
broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF
will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific
objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. The criteria
include considerations that help define them. These considerations are
suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers
must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address
only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being
considered and for which the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.

     What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
     How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
     understanding within its own field or across different fields?
     How well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to
     conduct the project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment
     on the quality of the prior work.) To what extent does the
     proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or
     potentially transformative concepts? How well conceived and
     organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
     resources?

     What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
     How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding
     while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does
     the proposed activity broaden the participation of
     underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability,
     geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the
     infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities,
     instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be
     disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological
     understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity
     to society?

Examples illustrating activities likely to demonstrate broader impacts are
available electronically on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf.

NSF staff also will give careful consideration to the following in making
funding decisions:

     Integration of Research and Education
     One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to
     foster integration of research and education through the
     programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and
     research institutions. These institutions provide abundant
     opportunities where individuals may concurrently assume
     responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students and
     where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse education with
     the excitement of discovery and enrich research through the
     diversity of learning perspectives.

     Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
     Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
     citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and
     persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and
     vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this
     principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs,
     projects, and activities it considers and supports.

     Additional Review Criteria:

     Reviewers will look for sound and imaginative responses to the Program
     Solicitation and will judge the degree to which proposed activities
     meet the overall goals for Assembling the Tree of Life. Reviewers will
     also pay close attention to the Management Plan, and they will take
     note of efforts to engage taxonomic specialists in the phylogenetic
     research proposed for the organisms under study.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be
reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or
decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the
proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate
a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of
appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant
Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended
for award. NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their
proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months.
The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date,
whichever is later.  The interval ends when the Division Director accepts
the Program Officer's recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted
by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential
documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the
reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the
Program Officer.  In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of
the decision to award or decline funding.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals
recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and
Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and
the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are
cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments,
obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of
funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical
or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal
Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments
in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants
and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a
Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations
whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the
cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of
reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided
automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for
additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special
provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2)
the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which
NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals
or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in
the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (GC-1); * or Research Terms and Conditions * and (5) any
announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in
the award letter. Cooperative agreements also are administered in
accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative
Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and
Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and
Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via
e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper
copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone
(703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important
information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF
Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on
the NSF Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.

Special Award Conditions:  For awards that include specimen collection
activities, the awardee shall ensure that award activities carried on both
inside and outside the U.S. and its territories and possessions are
coordinated, as necessary, with appropriate Government authorities, and
that appropriate licenses, permits, or approvals are obtained prior to
undertaking proposed activities. NSF does not assume responsibility for
awardee compliance with the laws and regulations of the country in which
the work is to be conducted

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the
cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current
budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project
reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is
required to submit a final project report.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports will delay
NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any
pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the
required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system,
available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and
final project reports.  Such reports provide information on activities and
findings, project participants (individual and organizational)
publications; and, other specific products and contributions.  PIs will not
be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a
proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.  Submission of
the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the
contents of the report are accurate and complete.

The Principal Investigator shall provide a summary in the "Special
Requirements" section of each annual and final project report, of all
permits, licenses, or other necessary approvals associated with specimen
collection. The information should include the names of all
permits/licenses/necessary approvals, the granting authority, date
acquired, duration, and the purpose of the permit/license/approval.

VIII. AGENCY CONTACTS

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

   * Maureen Kearney, 635N, telephone: (703) 292-7187, email:
     mkearney@nsf.gov

   * ATOL Working Group, telephone: 703-292-8480, email: BIO-atol@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

   * FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail:
     fastlane@nsf.gov.

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

   * Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational
     Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from
     Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please
     contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.

IX. OTHER INFORMATION

The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on
NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding
opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly
encouraged. In addition, MyNSF (formerly the Custom News Service) is an
information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other
interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and
publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and
procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are
informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new
publications are issued that match their identified interests. MyNSF also
is available on NSF's Website at
http://www.nsf.gov/mynsf/.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for
Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may
be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may
be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency
created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC
1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress
of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare
by supporting research and education in all fields of science and
engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering.
It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000
colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science
organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The
Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic
institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research,
education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded.
In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for
graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories
itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain
oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also
supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US
participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and
educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide
funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide
Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these
types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD)
and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable
individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation
about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed
at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703)
292-5111.

 The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
 progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
 cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
 mathematics, and engineering.

 To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
 copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
 NSF Website at http://www.nsf.gov

        * Location:                       4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington,
                                          VA 22230
        * For General Information         (703) 292-5111
          (NSF Information Center):
        * TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090

        * To Order Publications or Forms:

              Send an e-mail to:          pubs@nsf.gov

                 or telephone:            (703) 292-7827

        * To Locate NSF Employees:        (703) 292-5111

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is
solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of
1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in
connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports
submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting
within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may
be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the
proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or
obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the
administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers
and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to
other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding
applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in
order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency,
court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the
government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be
added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve
as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records,
NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69
Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File
and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004).
Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and
complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an
award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this
collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden
estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230

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