Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

On July 10, 2025, NSF issued an Important Notice providing updates to the agency's research security policies, including a research security training requirement, Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program annual certification requirement, prohibition on Confucius institutes and an updated FFDR reporting and submission timeline.

Renewal

Synopsis

NSF currently supports 25 LTER sites, and the solicitation is open to renewal proposals only.

To address ecological questions that cannot be resolved with short-term observations or experiments, NSF established the Long Term Ecological Research Program (LTER) in 1980. Two components differentiate LTER research from projects supported by other NSF programs: 1) the research is located at specific sites chosen to represent major ecosystem types or natural biomes, and 2) it emphasizes the study of ecological phenomena over long periods of time based on data collected in five core areas. Long-term studies are essential to achieve an integrated understanding of how populations, communities, and other components of ecosystems interact as well as to test ecological theory. Ongoing research at LTER sites must test ecological theories and significantly advance understanding of the long-term dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems. It often integrates multiple disciplines and, through cross-site interactions, examines patterns or processes over broad spatial scales. Recognizing that the value of long-term data extends beyond use at any individual site, NSF requires that data collected by all LTER sites be made broadly accessible.

Program contacts

Name	Email	Phone	Organization
William Ambrose	wambrose@nsf.gov	(703) 292-8029	GEO/OPP
David L. Garrison	dgarriso@nsf.gov	(703) 292-7588
Louis A. Kaplan	lkaplan@nsf.gov	(703) 292-7187
Douglas Levey	dlevey@nsf.gov	(703) 292-5196	BIO/DEB
Peter H. McCartney	pmccartn@nsf.gov	(703) 292-8470
John Schade	jschade@nsf.gov	(703) 292-7139

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

Status: Archived

Archived funding opportunity

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

Important information for proposers

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

Synopsis

Program contacts

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

Status: Archived

Archived funding opportunity

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

Important information for proposers

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

Synopsis

Program contacts

Organization(s)