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Title: Dear Colleague Letter - Stimulating research using NEON data
      (nsf15064)
Date: 4/1/2015

   NSF 15-064

Dear Colleague Letter - Stimulating research using NEON data

   Date: April 1, 2015

   The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting construction of the
   [1]National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). NEON will offer the
   measurements, flexible operation, and research capability needed to
   assess long-term biosphere change and vastly expand our knowledge of
   regional and continental scale biology. When complete, the NEON
   observatory will collect and provide high-quality, standardized data
   from 106 sites (60 terrestrial, 36 aquatic and 10 aquatic experimental)
   across the U.S. using instrument measurements and field sampling. The
   sites have been selected strategically to represent different regions
   of vegetation, landforms, climate, ecosystem performance, and gradients
   of change. NEON's site-based, remotely sensed and continental-scale
   data are provided as a range of scaled data products that can be used
   to describe changes in the nation's ecosystem through space and time.

   Several NEON sites are nearing completion and have begun operations;
   many more sites will be completed during the coming year. Provisional
   [2]NEON data from sites and airborne observations, along with protocols
   and documentation, are now available on the NEON Data Portal. In
   addition, NEON-collected [3]specimens and samples are available and can
   be requested for research purposes.

   Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), NSF's Directorate for
   Biological Sciences aims to foster and coordinate research that makes
   use of NEON data and/or samples/specimens by enabling research teams to
   coordinate their efforts and to address specific questions. This DCL
   encourages two types of funding request: 1) Conferences^[4]1 designed
   to support costs of bringing together a team of researchers with shared
   research interests to coordinate plans for specific analysis or
   synthesis of NEON data; and 2) Early Concept Grants for Exploratory
   Research (EAGERs) to support innovative research that leverages NEON
   data and/or samples/specimens. Requests must propose to use NEON data
   and/or NEON samples/specimens in order to be considered for funding.

   Conference requests are envisioned as providing travel and meeting
   costs for [5]synthesis working groups, in which geographically
   dispersed researchers meet several times a year to collaboratively
   pursue analysis and synthesis of NEON data. Other types of conference
   ideas that make use of NEON data or samples will also be considered.
   Conference requests must not exceed $100,000 for one or two year
   duration.

   EAGER requests will be considered if they propose to: 1) use NEON data
   and/or NEON samples/specimens to address innovative ecological or other
   biological questions, or 2) leverage NEON data and/or samples/specimens
   and combine with other data, for the purposes of extending the spatial
   or temporal dimension of potentially transformative research. EAGERs
   can be supported at up to $300,000 for two-year duration, although they
   are typically funded at lower levels.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

   Conference and EAGER proposal inquiries will be accepted from a
   Principal Investigator (PI) or any consortium of investigators led by a
   PI at an eligible U.S. institution.

   Interested PIs must email a 3-page (maximum) summary of their research
   ideas and planned activities to [6]NEONresearch@nsf.gov by close of
   business, Friday, May 8, 2015.

   PIs can expect to be notified by early June whether submission of a
   full Conference or EAGER proposal is encouraged or discouraged; if
   encouraged, instructions will be included in the notification email for
   how and when (within June) to submit a full proposal via FastLane.

   Any questions should be directed to the email address
   [7]NEONresearch@nsf.gov; do not contact the signatory to this DCL.

   The summaries will be reviewed internally and those ideas that best
   meet the goals of this Dear Colleague Letter will be encouraged to
   submit Conference or EAGER proposals. Proposals must be submitted via
   Fastlane or Grants.gov, following the NSF's Grant Proposal Guide
   [8]instructions. It is anticipated that all awards will be made in FY
   2015.

   Sincerely,

   James L. Olds
   Assistant Director for Biological Sciences
   National Science Foundation

   ^[9]1 Conferences include symposia and workshop proposals.
   NSF NEON Program Summary: [10]http://go.usa.gov/3jUUV
   NEON FAQ: [11]http://go.usa.gov/3jvqe

References

   1. http://www.neoninc.org/
   2. http://www.neoninc.org/data-resources/get-data
   3. http://www.neoninc.org/data-resources/specimens-samples
   4. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15064/nsf15064.html#_ftn1
   5. https://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/system/files/HamptonParker_BioSci_2011.pdf
   6. mailto:NEONresearch@nsf.gov
   7. mailto:NEONresearch@nsf.gov
   8. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg
   9. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15064/nsf15064.html#_ftnref1
  10. http://go.usa.gov/3jUUV
  11. http://go.usa.gov/3jvqe