Enabling Discovery through GEnomic Tools | 20 532

EDGE (NSF) Grant Opportunity FAQs

1) What is the NSF EDGE program?

Enabling Discovery through GEnomic Tools (EDGE) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity that supports genomic research focused on explaining how genes actually produce observable traits (phenotypes), especially for complex traits influenced by real-world conditions.

2) What is the main scientific goal of EDGE?

The central goal is to understand causal mechanisms linking genotype to phenotype. EDGE emphasizes research that tests and demonstrates cause-and-effect relationships, not just correlations between genetic variation and traits.

3) What does EDGE mean by "causal mechanisms" (genotype-to-phenotype causality)?

In this program, causality means moving beyond association signals to experiments and approaches that validate how particular genes or genetic variants lead to trait differences.

4) How is EDGE different from studies that only find genetic associations?

EDGE is not centered on stopping at correlation or association between genetic variation and phenotypes. Instead, projects are expected to be designed to directly test and demonstrate causal links between genotype and phenotype.

5) In what contexts should genotype-to-phenotype relationships be studied under EDGE?

EDGE emphasizes studying gene-to-trait relationships in the contexts where organisms function. This may include environmental factors, developmental stages, social interactions, and the organism's broader genomic background.

6) What are the two main funding priorities of EDGE?

EDGE has two primary priorities: (1) developing new tools, methods, technologies, resources, and enabling infrastructure that make it possible to test gene-to-trait causality in organisms where those capabilities are limited; and (2) funding hypothesis-driven research projects that use or adapt these approaches to test causal relationships between specific genes or variants and phenotypes in non-model systems.

7) What kinds of projects does EDGE fund under the "tool and infrastructure" priority?

EDGE supports the creation of new tools, methods, technologies, resources, and enabling infrastructure that allow causal testing of gene-to-trait relationships, particularly in organisms that do not already have extensive genomic toolkits.

8) What kinds of projects does EDGE fund under the "hypothesis-driven research" priority?

EDGE funds mechanistic, hypothesis-driven projects designed to directly test causality between specific genetic variants or genes and phenotypes, especially in non-model organisms and systems.

9) Does EDGE focus on model organisms or non-model organisms?

EDGE places particular emphasis on diverse organisms that are not established "model" organisms with extensive existing toolkits. The program highlights expanding causal genomics approaches into systems where such capabilities are limited or do not yet exist.

10) What types of organisms are relevant to EDGE?

The opportunity references a wide range of life forms, including diverse plants, animals, microbes, viruses, and fungi, particularly those outside the traditional set of heavily tooled model organisms.

11) What is meant by "mechanistic questions" in EDGE proposals?

Mechanistic questions are questions aimed at explaining how genetic differences lead to trait differences. In practice, EDGE expects projects to be built around clear mechanisms and experiments that can validate causality rather than only identifying genomic signals associated with a trait.

12) What is the broader scientific purpose of EDGE?

EDGE aims to help uncover general principles governing how genomes map to phenomes, sometimes described as identifying the "rules" underlying genome-to-phenotype relationships across biology.

13) How does EDGE align with NSF-wide priorities?

EDGE aligns with NSF's longer-term research vision, particularly the "Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype" priority area, described as a major NSF investment area.

14) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for EDGE?

The NSF Funding Opportunity Number listed for EDGE is 20-532.

15) What kind of grant mechanism does EDGE use?

EDGE provides support through standard research grants.

16) What is the category and CFDA listing associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, with CFDA 47.074.

17) Is EDGE a discretionary funding opportunity?

Yes. EDGE is described as an NSF discretionary funding opportunity.

18) When are proposals due?

Proposals are accepted at any time rather than being tied to a single deadline.

19) What is the maximum award size (award ceiling) for EDGE?

The opportunity lists an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000.

20) How many awards does NSF expect to make through EDGE?

The opportunity indicates an expectation of around 15 awards.

21) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the program is open to a wide range of applicant organization types, subject to any specific clarifications in the official solicitation.

22) Does EDGE require research to address complex traits and real-world conditions?

EDGE highlights genomic research aimed at explaining observable traits, especially when traits are complex and influenced by real-world conditions, and it emphasizes studying causality in relevant biological contexts.

23) Does EDGE support adapting existing genomic approaches to new systems?

Yes. In addition to creating new tools and infrastructure, EDGE supports hypothesis-driven projects that use or adapt causal-testing approaches for non-model systems.

24) What does EDGE mean by studying traits in an organism's "broader genomic background"?

EDGE emphasizes that genotype-to-phenotype relationships should be examined in context, including the organism's broader genomic background, rather than treating genetic variants and traits as isolated from the rest of the genome.

25) Is EDGE focused on prediction as well as explanation?

The program's purpose includes uncovering general genome-to-phenome principles, aligning with NSF's "Predicting Phenotype" priority, suggesting an emphasis on improving what biology can predict and explain about traits across the tree of life.