Directorate for Biological Sciences
Office of the Assistant Director
January 10, 2011

NSF intends to support a new competition for the Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development (BREAD) Program in FY 2012. The BREAD Program is a partnership between NSF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of BREAD is to support basic research that addresses challenges in smallholder agriculture in developing countries. Further information on the FY 2011 BREAD solicitation, which will form the basis of the FY 2012 Solicitation, may be found at https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503285&org=BIO.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences recognizes the need to facilitate communication among potential international partners for new, collaborative projects for the BREAD Program. Accordingly, the NSF has implemented a Wiki, a social networking vehicle, to facilitate collaborations between U.S. Principal Investigators (PIs) and international partners, and to promote development of innovative approaches to address major constraints in developing country agriculture. On the Wiki, PIs will be able to pose agricultural challenges for which they would like help in finding creative solutions, and others will be able to describe their expertise and interest in addressing those challenges. It is anticipated that the Wiki will allow PIs from different disciplines to come together to develop innovative, interdisciplinary and ethical approaches to address intractable problems facing smallholder farmers.

The Wiki is accessible at https://extwiki.nsf.gov/x/JgCF. First-time users must register for an account. Once registered, users will be directed to the main page of the NSF Wiki, where you must accept the terms and conditions before proceeding. Additional guidance for use will be available on the Wiki.

Questions regarding the BREAD solicitation, or Wiki should be sent by e-mail to BREAD-WG@nsf.gov.

Sincerely,

Joann P. Roskoski
Assistant Director for Biological Sciences (Acting)
National Science Foundation