Finding a Home at the NSF for Your Chemical Biology Proposal

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Finding a Home at the NSF for Your Chemical
Biology Proposal

• George L. Kenyon
• April 30, 2009
• Scripps Research Institute

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A NSF Experiment at the Chemistry-Biology
Interface
Experiment - January 2008 Professor Wilfredo
(Freddy) Colon joined the NSF as a rotator
program director with a 5050 appointment between
the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and the Division
of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB).

• Main responsibilities of this position are to
• Facilitate and develop best practices for the
  review of proposals at the chemistry-biology
  interface, and keep proposals from falling
  through the cracks.
• Facilitate the interactions between the MCB and
  CHE divisions
• Interact with the community to help identify the
  best program for their proposals.

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Directorate forMathematical and Physical Sciences
Division of Mathematical Sciences
AST
CHE
DMR
DMS
PHY
Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA)
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Directorate forBiological Sciences (BIO)
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
DBI
DEB
EF
IOS
MCB
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Most biochemistry proposals are submitted to the
BMS in MCB cluster whereas most chemical biology
proposals are submitted to CHE.
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Biochemistry and Chemical Biology at the NSF

• Biochemistry - the study of the chemistry and
  chemical processes in living organisms.
• Most biochemistry proposals are submitted to the
  Biomolecular Systems Cluster in MCB and are
  reviewed in the Molecular Biochemistry or
  Metabolic Biochemistry review panels supplemented
  with ad-hoc reviews.
• Some biochemistry proposals that are more
  chemistry-oriented are submitted to CHE and are
  reviewed by different methods, depending on the
  Program.
• Chemical Biology - involves the application of
  the tools and methods of chemistry to the study
  and manipulation of biological systems
• Most chemical biology proposals are submitted to
  a CHE program.
• Some chemical biology proposals are submitted to
  other divisions in the BIO Directorate, usually
  MCB.
• Biochemistry and Chemical Biology proposals are
  sometimes co-reviewed and co-funded by CHE and MCB

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chemical biology?
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Recent Activities and Changes at the NSF to
Address Proposals at the CHE-BIO Interface

• Wrote a commentary to inform the community about
  the present and future of chemical biology at the
  NSF
• Chemical Biology at the US National Science
  Foundation, Nature Chemical Biology 4, 511-514
• New CHE-MCB review panel was created to
  facilitate the review of proposals at the che-bio
  interface, including chemical biology.
• Workshop on chemical biology is being planned for
  2009 to discuss leading edge, future trends,
  proposal review mechanism, funding opportunities,
  and education
• CHE is proposing to create a new program,
  Chemistry of Life Processes, that will serve as a
  home to chemical biology proposals.

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CHE Town Hall Meeting

• When March 23, 2009
• Where Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 3
• What Time 430 - 630 PM
• Main Agenda Introduce Proposed New Programs of
  the Chemistry Division
• Chemical Synthesis
• Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms
• Chemical Measurement and Imaging
• Theory, Models and Computational Methods
• Environmental Chemical Sciences
• Chemistry of Life Processes
• Chemical Catalysis
• Macromolecular / Supramolecular / Nanochemistry

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Proposed Program Chemistry of Life Processes

• Draft of Program Description
• The program supports research of novel chemistry
  in biological systems and the advancement of
  basic chemical research and transformative
  technologies through creative applications that
  address significant aspects of life processes.
• The program also encourages research projects
  that exploit biological systems to advance
  fundamental and enabling aspects of chemistry.
• Proposals that are compatible with the program
  are those that advance the knowledge and practice
  of chemistry.
• Proposals that focus on addressing a biological
  question and that do not primarily use chemical
  approaches are more appropriate for the Division
  of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB).
• Proposals that address biomedical problems are
  more appropriate for the NIH.

Program Contact Wilfredo Colon, [phone],
wcolon_at_nsf.gov E-mail questions, comments, or
suggestions to chemplans_at_nsf.gov
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Examples of Research Interest that would fit the
Chemistry of Life Processes Program

• Research of interest to the program includes
  fundamental chemistry
• centered projects at the interface with biology.
  Some examples include,
• but are not limited to
• synthetic methods for site-specific modifications
  of biomacromolecules
• the application of advanced spectroscopic
  techniques to study energy transformations in
  biological systems
• metal speciation, coordination and function
• chemical (bottom-up) synthetic biology
• chemical basis of ligand-biomacromolecule
  recognition
• studies of enzyme and ribozyme catalysis that
  focus on the chemistry
• the design and synthesis of riboswitches and
  small molecules that modulate biological systems.

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Finding a Home Submit to CHE or MCB?

• Advise 1 Understand the key differences between
  CHE and MCB
• MCB is mainly interested in the fundamental
  biological problem or question being addressed
  (i.e. the impact on Biology)
• CHE is mainly interested in the novelty and
  significance of the chemical approach (i.e. the
  impact on Chemistry)
• CHE and MCB do not support disease related
  proposals.
• Advice 2 Determine the focus and impact of your
  proposal
• If the proposal is traditional biochemistry and
  the main focus is to understand the relationship
  between structure and function - submit to MCB
• If the proposal focuses primarily on the chemical
  details or chemical approaches (e.g. synthesis,
  imaging/sensor, metal coordination, spectroscopy)
  - submit to CHE
• Submit the proposal to the program that would be
  impacted the most by the research. Where is the
  greatest impact the chemistry or the biology?
• Advice 3 If in doubt about the best program for
  your proposal, consult with program director
• Advice 4 Address both review criteria the
  intellectual merit and broader impact
• Understand the meaning of broader impact and
  take it seriously.

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Review Criteria

• Criterion 1 intellectual merit? (The focus is
  one the science)
• Advancement of knowledge and understanding?
• How qualified is the investigator(s)?
• Impact of prior work?
• Exploration of creative, original or potentially
  transformative concepts? (since Jan. 2008
  revolutionizing entire disciplines creating
  entirely new fields or disrupting accepted
  theories and perspectives)
• How well conceived and organized?
• Resources?
• Criterion 2 broader impacts? (The focus is on
  the people)
• Promotion of teaching, training, and learning?
• Broadening participation?
• Enhancement of infrastructure?
• Dissemination?
• Benefits to society?
• The Project Description must describe, as an
  integral part of the
• narrative, the broader impacts resulting from the
  proposed activities.

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Summary

• Most proposals at the chemistry-biology interface
  may be submitted to CHE or MCB, depending on the
  focus of the proposal and the impact of the
  research.
• The proposed Chemistry of Life Processes program
  will provide a common and clear home for chemical
  biology proposals.
• Communicate with Program Directors if there is
  any doubt about the most appropriate program for
  your proposal.
• If you want your proposal to be co-reviewed by
  another division/program, you may identify a
  second program in Fastlane at the time of
  submission.
• Take the broader impact criteria seriously.
• If your proposal does not fit the program, the
  PDs will try to transfer it to the appropriate
  program, and will do their best to obtain a
  competent and fair review.