Microbial Genome Sequencing Program

As a collaborative, interagency effort, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture invite research proposals (i) to support high-throughput sequencing of the genomes of microorganisms (including viruses, bacteria, archaea, fungi, oomycetes, protists and agriculturally important nematodes) and (ii) to develop and implement strategies, tools and technologies to make currently available genome sequences more valuable to the user community. The availability of genome sequences provides the foundation for understanding how microorganisms function and live, and how they interact with their environments and with other organisms. The sequences are expected to be available to and used by a community of investigators to address issues of scientific and societal importance including:

• novel aspects of microbial biochemistry, physiology, metabolism, development and cellular biology;
• the diversity and the roles microorganisms play in complex ecosystems and in global geochemical cycles;
• the impact that microorganisms have on the productivity and sustainability of agriculture and natural resources (e.g., forestry, soil and water), and on the safety and quality of the nation's food supply; and
• the organization and evolution of microbial genomes, and the mechanisms of transmission, exchange and reshuffling of genetic information.

A Microbial Genomics Workshop is held annually; all current awardees in this interagency program are expected to attend.