Biological and Environmental Research Support Science (BERSS) | Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program (ETOP) | Visiting Scientist Program
Partnerships Development Team (PDT)
The vast majority of the JGI’s over 2,000 Users come from the public sector – academic and government institutions. As such, the capabilities and expertise of the JGI are largely unknown and underutilized by industry. With the arrival of JGI Director Nigel Mouncey, who joined the JGI with 20 years of industry experience in 2017, an opportunity emerged to expand JGI’s portfolio of user companies by establishing a Partnerships Development Team (PDT). Other targets of PDT’s activities include other academic, governmental, and non-governmental institutions that have not yet partnered with the JGI. Learn more about the PDT.
Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs):
The JGI performs sequencing on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers. The Centers are intended to accelerate basic research in the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, advancing the federal initiative that seeks to reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% within 10 years through increased efficiency and diversification of clean energy sources. The four Centers are located in geographically distinct areas and use different plants both for laboratory research and for improving feedstock crops.
Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) led by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Announced in July 2017, CABBI is a collaboration between Illinois’ Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB), and it will include 17 partner institutions. CABBI researchers will develop fuels and products by integrating three highly interconnected DOE priority areas of Feedstock Development, Conversion, and Sustainability.
Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) led by DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. CBI will pursue a host of new technologies to alleviate critical cost barriers to sustainable, economically viable production of bio-based products and advanced biofuels. The center will focus on creating robust high-yielding feedstock plants, using advanced genetic technology to accelerate the domestication of perennials. CBI will create methods for high-yield production of advanced biofuels that can be blended with existing transportation fuels. Researchers will also study ways to develop valuable byproducts from lignin left over after biomass processing.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) led by the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, in close collaboration with Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. This center is studying a range of plants and, in addition to exploring plant fiber breakdown, aims to increase plant production of starches and oils, which are more easily converted to fuels. This Center also has a major focus on sustainability, examining the environmental and socioeconomic implications of moving to a biofuels economy.
Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) led by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This center will concentrate on “model” crops of rice and Arabidopsis, in the search for game-changing breakthroughs in basic science, and is exploring microbial-based synthesis of fuels beyond ethanol.
Biological and Environmental Research Support Science (BERSS):
Overview
JGI provides sequencing, synthesis, and targeted metabolomics support for DOE-BER funded awards, including awards funded through BER Funding Opportunity Announcements, Science Focus Areas (SFA) opportunities, and the Office of Science Early Career Research Program. FAIR, RENEW, and Energy Earthshot proposals are NOT eligible for BERSS support.
Available Resources
Eligible product types include those listed here: https://jgi.doe.gov/our-science/product-offerings/
Proposals may not exceed 3 Tbp sequencing, 500 kbp synthesis, and 200 polar/500 nonpolar metabolomics samples, and should generally conform to the guidelines for current annual Community Science Program proposals.
Process
Proposals may be submitted at any time. Support is limited to work included in the BER-funded proposal, and PIs must provide an award number and contact information for their DOE program officer. Submitters are strongly encouraged to contact JGI to determine general feasibility prior to submitting a BER proposal that includes a JGI request. Proposals whose scope was not previously negotiated with the JGI will only be accepted pending available capacity, technical review, and scope negotiation at JGI.
Investigators with grants funded by DOE-BER requiring support from JGI capabilities may submit proposals here.
Investigators preparing grant applications to DOE-BER and requesting an optional letter of feasibility to accompany their proposal may contact Tanja Woyke (twoyke@lbl.gov), Deputy for User Programs, with a proposed scope.
Investigators wishing to expand on their DOE-BER funded work with additional sequencing, synthesis, or metabolomics should apply to one of the JGI’s calls for user proposals.
Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program (ETOP)
The ETOP identifies and funds partnerships to develop new technical capabilities that could be provided to JGI users. Projects targeted for 2018 include development of methods for rapid prototyping of gene and pathway function targeting organisms found in natural environments:
- High-throughput cell-based systems for biological and metabolic characterization
- Cell-free technologies that enable scaleable in vitro gene and pathway functional analyses
- Sensor-based technologies, biological or non-biological, that enable in vivo reporting of metabolic activity and/or activity-based cell sorting
Deadline for proposal submission has passed. For more information, check out the solicitation.
See a list of previously supported projects.
Visiting Scientist Program
The JGI Visiting Scientist Program (VSP) provides an opportunity for faculty-level scientists who are seeking to build upon their line of scientific inquiry by leveraging JGI experimental, computational, and personnel resources for genomic research and sequence-based science. Projects include de novo generation of genome data, assistance in interpreting and/or building on an existing data set, or the refining of new technology (e.g., single-cell genomics; metagenomics, etc.). Length of stay depends on complexity of the project being considered and availability of data and other resources. Investigators, postdocs, and graduate students participating in approved JGI User Projects are also invited to apply for on-site access to JGI resources and capabilities. For more information, contact Tanja Woyke (twoyke@lbl.gov), Deputy for User Programs.