[U.S. National Science Foundation](https://www.nsf.gov/)

Proposals accepted anytime

Up to $600,000 total per award (5 years); approx. $6,000,000 total program funding annually

Supports long-term research projects generating extended time series of data to address key questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, and ecosystem science.

--- ## Description The Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) program funds projects that require the collection and analysis of data over extended periods (typically a decade or longer) to address significant questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, and ecosystem science. The program particularly supports research on processes and phenomena that cannot be adequately understood through short-term studies, such as the effects of natural selection, interspecific interactions, long-lived population dynamics, feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes, and the impacts of climatic cycles or other long-interval external forces. Projects must be hypothesis-driven, grounded in at least six years of core data collected by the proposing team, and must articulate a decadal research plan. The intent is to foster research that advances general understanding in environmental biology and provides datasets of broad value to the scientific community. LTREB proposals are reviewed by one of three clusters within NSF's Division of Environmental Biology: Ecosystem Science, Population and Community Ecology, or Evolutionary Processes. Marine ecological research is generally not supported, but studies focusing on evolutionary dynamics in marine systems are eligible. --- ## Due Dates - Proposals are accepted at any time (no fixed deadline). --- ## Funding Amount - **Award Ceiling:** $600,000 total (direct + indirect costs) per award for a 5-year period. - **Estimated Total Program Funding:** Approximately $6,000,000 per year (pending availability of funds). - **Number of Awards:** About 10 per year (including new and renewal awards). - **Renewals:** Projects may be renewed once for an additional 5 years (10 years total); subsequent support requires a new decadal plan. --- ## Eligibility - **Eligible Applicants:** - U.S.-based institutions of higher education (two- and four-year, including community colleges) accredited in the U.S. and acting on behalf of their faculty. - Non-profit, non-academic U.S. organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations directly associated with educational or research activities. - International branch campuses of U.S. IHEs may participate if justified and if the work cannot be performed at the U.S. campus. - **Principal Investigator (PI):** No restrictions or limits. - **Proposal Limits:** No restrictions on the number of proposals per organization, PI, or Co-PI. --- ## Application Process - **Submission Platforms:** Proposals may be submitted via [Research.gov](https://www.research.gov/) or [Grants.gov](https://www.grants.gov/). - **Proposal Requirements:** - Project Description (up to 15 pages for new proposals; 10 pages for renewals), including: - A decadal research plan with clear hypotheses/questions requiring long-term data. - Documentation of at least 6 years of core data collected by the research team. - Data Management and Sharing Plan (max 2 pages). - Budget (not exceeding $600,000 for 5 years). - Broader Impacts section. - Biographical sketches for senior personnel. - Supplementary documents as applicable (e.g., mentoring plan, REU activities, letters of collaboration). - **Renewal Proposals:** Should be submitted in the fifth year of the initial award and must document progress, data sharing, and plans for completion of the decadal research plan. - **No cost sharing required.** - **Review Criteria:** Standard NSF criteria (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts) plus program-specific requirements for decadal planning and core data. --- ## Additional Information - Proposals that do not present a decadal research plan or do not document at least six years of core data will be returned without review. - LTREB does not support proposals solely for monitoring, analysis of historical data, or studies not driven by clear hypotheses. - Data sharing and public accessibility are required for all funded projects. - Support from LTREB does not preclude concurrent support from other NSF programs. --- ## External Links - [Program Solicitation and Details](https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/ltreb-long-term-research-environmental-biology/nsf21-544/solicitation) - [Apply via Grants.gov](https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/330296) - [NSF Publication 21-544](http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf21544) - [NSF Award Search for LTREB projects](https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/) - [NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)](https://www.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/24-1) - [Biological Oceanography Program (for marine ecology)](https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/biooce-biological-oceanography) --- ## Contact Information | Name | Email | Phone | Role/Notes | |---------------------|----------------------------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------| | Betsy von Holle | mvonholl@nsf.gov | (703) 292-4974| Cognizant Program Officer | | Robyn Smyth | rsmyth@nsf.gov | (703) 292-2996| Cognizant Program Officer | | NSF Grants.gov Support | grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov | | Technical/application support | | NSF Information Center | nsfpubs@nsf.gov | (703) 292-5111| General NSF inquiries | | Research.gov Help Desk | rgov@nsf.gov | 1-800-673-6188| Technical support for Research.gov | ---

Long Term Research in Environmental Biology

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