Sep 30, 2024

From vision to victory: Penn State's journey to a $20M NSF grant

The establishment of the National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) offers valuable lessons for future large-scale, multi-institutional proposals.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa ­– Securing a prestigious $20 million National Synthesis Center grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) was a significant achievement for Penn State professor Edward O'Brien, Huck associate director Camelia Kantor, and a core interdisciplinary team. Their success in establishing the National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) offers valuable lessons for future large-scale, multi-institutional proposals. This article serves as both a debrief of the process and a resource for others aiming to tackle similar endeavors.

Early Vision and Strategic Planning

The groundwork for this success started in 2021, when O’Brien responded to a ‘Dear Colleague Letter’ issued by the NSF requesting applications to run community workshops to obtain input to inform a potential future NSF call to create a center. In March 2022, O'Brien organized a two-day NSF Synthesis workshop titled "Accelerating Community-Wide Synthesis in Molecular and Cellular Biology." This initiative brought together leading faculty from top research universities to explore the value and direction of a potential synthesis center. This early vision laid the foundation for the NSF call that would follow in June 2022, positioning O'Brien and his team ahead of the curve.

Rather than merely responding to forthcoming funding opportunities, they played a proactive role in shaping the direction of future NSF funding priorities. Reflecting on the process, O'Brien emphasized the importance of having a long-term vision. "One of the most crucial things we did was anticipate where the field was heading and lay the groundwork for this opportunity. Without that forward planning, we wouldn't have been as well-prepared when the NSF call came," he noted.

Lesson Learned: Engage early with funding agencies and stakeholders and play an active role in shaping the direction of forthcoming opportunities. Dear Colleague Letters are a primary mechanism NSF uses to obtain early-stage input.

Forming the Team and Leveraging Diverse Expertise

When the official call for proposals was posted, the process accelerated. O'Brien engaged with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and met Camelia Kantor, whose expertise in organizational management, education, and assessment proved invaluable. As O’Brien submitted the preliminary proposal in January 2023, the pair began a seven-month journey of intensive collaboration, leveraging the expertise of individuals both within and outside the scientific realm.

Building a competitive proposal for such a large-scale project required contributions from experts in diverse fields, from team science, AI/ML, cyberinfrastructure, education, and assessment to graphic design and project management. “These large, complex research proposals require more than a strong research idea,” said Kantor. “In fact, less than one-third of the final proposal focused on science. The rest was about execution—how to bring the idea to life.” O’Brien added, “As a scientist focused primarily on research and teaching, I needed someone like Camelia who had expertise and connections with communities I did not normally work with. She helped bring those missing elements together.”

Lesson Learned: Successful proposals for large, complex grants require contributions from a highly multidisciplinary team. It’s not just about great research ideas; it’s about execution.

Strategic Use of Resources Building a large-scale proposal also required efficient use of resources, particularly when dealing with multimillion-dollar budgets. “It’s easy to overpromise, but balancing ambition with available resources was key,” Kantor noted. Leveraging institutional support from the Huck Institutes, the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, andthe Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office—such as graphic design, IT, budgeting, project management—helped ensure the proposal was both competitive and realistic. We also learned that strong coordination was essential – both internally at Penn State and across existing relationships with external partners. In this case that included faculty experts from other universities, including Minority Serving Institutions, CyVerse at University of Arizona, and the Minority-Serving Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (MS-CC).

Lesson Learned: Use institutional resources wisely and maintain realistic expectations about what the grant can achieve, especially after accounting for overhead.

Building Relationships with Funders An often-overlooked aspect of the grant process is building strong relationships with the funding institution. Engaging with NSF program directors through office hours and ongoing communication can help put a team on their radar and create opportunities for critical feedback. Establishing rapport with key decision-makers can make a difference in a tight competition.

Lesson Learned: Fostering a strong relationship with program directors is vital, especially when it comes to competitive funding. Regular engagement can provide insights and set your proposal apart.

Preparing for the Final Stage The announcement in October 2023 that the team was among the top applicants led to an intensive preparation phase for the mid-November reverse site visit. This stage was crucial to the final success and required significant logistical support, from organizing mock presentations to coordinating IT and design resources. Having a well-coordinated, collaborative team to address the finer details of the presentation was essential. If available, a project manager can coordinate these team efforts.

Lesson Learned: Prepare thoroughly for each stage of the grant process, including site visits or presentations, and leverage all available support systems within your institution.

In sum, our journey to securing the NCEMS grant underscored the importance of collaboration, strategic planning, and resource management. For those looking to pursue similar opportunities, the biggest takeaways are that it truly takes a village to bring a large, multi-institutional grant to fruition. The combination of scientific excellence, logistical foresight, and diverse expertise were the keys to our success—and these lessons can guide future efforts.