Enabling Discovery Through Genomics (EDGE)

The Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) program supports research to advance understanding of comparative and functional genomics. The program supports the development of innovative tools, technologies, resources, and infrastructure that advance biological research focused on the identification of the causal mechanisms connecting genes and phenotypes through the Functional Genomic Tools track. The program also supports functional genomic research that addresses the mechanistic basis of complex traits in organisms within the context in which they function, i.e., environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic through the Complex Multigenic Traits (Research) track. These areas of research are essential to uncovering the rules that underlie genome-to-phenome relationships and predict phenotypes. EDGE welcomes integrative and interdisciplinary projects that test hypotheses, or enable direct tests of hypotheses, about gene function in organisms to accelerate basic and translational advances in cellular, organismal, and evolutionary biology.  

The EDGE program accepts proposals on two tracks:

The Functional Genomic Tools Track and the Complex Multigenic Traits (Research) Track.

FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC TOOLS (FGT) TRACK: Proposals submitted to this track should aim to develop and provide proof-of-concept tests of functional genomic tools and infrastructure to enable direct tests of hypotheses about gene function in species for which such tools and infrastructure are presently unavailable. Investigators may use taxonomic, question-based, and/or technology-based strategies to develop tools and approaches that will be used by larger communities of researchers. Projects may include instrumentation development followed by proof-of-concept testing in the context of developing functional genomic tools that enable direct tests of gene function.

Tools, approaches, and infrastructure that will have significant catalytic effects on large numbers of investigators to overcome bottlenecks in directly testing gene function will receive priority. FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC TOOLS TRACK proposals must include carefully developed plans for rapid and active dissemination of any new resources and training of other researchers in their use. Additionally, proposals need a rationale that is based on an assessment of current impediments and the potential impact on the relevant research communities. Investigators are encouraged to bring together novel combinations of expertise to achieve the greatest impact of the proposed tools and infrastructure across research communities. Proposals submitted to the FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS TOOLS TRACK benefit from an existing community of researchers using the target organism. Although proposals can be submitted and implemented by single investigators, participation in formulation of the proposal by members of the user community is recommended.  

The title of proposals submitted to the Functional Genomic Tools track should start with "EDGE-FGT"

COMPLEX MULTIGENIC TRAITS (CMT) TRACK: Proposals submitted to this track should include hypothesis-driven research that advances understanding of the relationship between genomes and complex multi-genic traits, toward the goal of predicting phenotypes across diverse contexts, including environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic. Successful proposals may include the development of theory and/or analytical approaches to achieve the scientific goal. The EDGE program recognizes that many of the traits of interest to biologists are quantitative in nature and are controlled by many genes of small effect and that understanding complex traits requires systems-level analysis of the underlying gene regulatory networks that goes beyond linking individual genes with said traits. Submissions to the COMPLEX MULTIGENIC TRAITS TRACK should emphasize the contribution of genome-wide factors that impact expression of a phenotype. For the COMPLEX MULTIGENIC TRAITS TRACK, the use of traditional model organisms is permitted, but proposals must demonstrate the generalizability of the results beyond the focal species across contexts (environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic).

The title of proposals submitted to the Complex Multigenic Traits track should start with "EDGE-CMT"

The program accepts proposals for both tracks through the IOS Core solicitation, the CAREER and RUI solicitations, EAGERs, RAPIDs, and other special funding initiatives (e.g., NSF-BSF), as well as select seminars/conferences/workshops.