Introduction
A planet-wide effort is required to reverse or to control the impact of human activity on the biosphere and to maintain biodiversity. The aim of the Earth Biogenome Project (EBP) is to obtain the sequence of the genome of all species (eukaryotes) that inhabit the Earth. This sequence constitutes the genetic substrate of biodiversity. This project will also contribute to the understanding of biology, ecology and evolution and will facilitate advances in agriculture, medicine and life-based industries. The EBP must engage societies and people from all over the world, who hold the knowledge accumulated over generations of the natural environment in which they live. The SCB/IEC/ICHN, driving entities of the Catalan Initiative for the Earth Biogenome Project (CBP), seek to contribute to this initiative by launching the second call to sequence the genomes of eukaryotic species found in the Catalan territories.
Each project may receive funding up to 10.000€, which can be devoted to fieldwork, cataloguing, genome sequencing, assembly and annotation.
All eukaryotic species found in the Catalan Countries are regarded, but priority may be given to endemic or endangered species, or to species of particular interest from a scientific (taxonomic position) or applied (agricultural, biotechnology) standpoint.
How to apply and deadline for applications
One-page long applications (minimum font size 10) must be written in English and sent to scb@iec.cat before July 26th, 2021 at 12pm.
Format is free but applications must be brief and structured in three parts:
- Part 1. Description of the team and main achievements, including up to three relevant publications.
- Part 2. Justification of the species of interest.
- Part 3. Description of the methodologies and plan to assemble the genome, and funding requested. If the project is going to be co-funded with other sources, please specify the sources and the amount of co-funding. Evaluation An international team of researchers, together with the people appointed by the presidencies of the SCB, ICHN and IEC, will evaluate the applications and prioritize the projects that are technically viable and meet the conditions and prioritization criteria set out in the call.
After the resolution, and prior to the transfer of funds, it will be necessary to formalize the concession by signing a document of acceptance by the Principal Investigator.
Report
The outcome of this project, to be presented as a justification, has to be the genome assembly, which in general and with the only exception of unusual genomes, has to comply with the standards of the EBP or its affiliated projects.
Within a year of the resolution of the grant, the funded projects are expected to:
- Deliver to scb@iec.cat:
- A scientific report (one-page, free format).
- An economic report on the application of these funds that includes a certificate from the institution detailing the expenses (date, invoice number, supplier and NIF, description, amount and date of payment) and copies of the invoices. It if deems it appropriate, the IEC may request the documentation supporting the financial certification.
- A sample of the graphic material or the web of the project where there is evidence of the collaboration of the SCB/ICHN/IEC (mention and logo).
- Deposit raw data to ENA (European Nucleotide Archive), using the CBP Project ID: PRJEB43556.
With the support of:
