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Letter of Intent Guidance for the EMSL-JGI FICUS Program

Updated: January 2025

This guidance applies to the FICUS EMSL-JGI call.

A letter of intent (LOI) is required for some proposal calls before submitting a full proposal. LOIs must be submitted electronically through the EMSL User Portal (NEXUS). Applicants should read the following guidance carefully. Failure to comply with the requirements will result in an LOI being returned without review. Not following current FY 2026 guidance or uploading prior templates is considered failing to comply.

Initiate a new LOI by logging into the EMSL User Portal and clicking “Submit a Proposal/LOI” in the left-hand navigation bar. The portal will guide you to enter details about the proposal, participants, funding, resources, and samples. You can navigate through each step to view all the required information and additional guidance. Review the entire form well in advance of the submission deadline to make sure you have enough time to compile the required information. Please note that these guidelines are updated periodically, and requirements may change from year to year.

There are two steps to complete the LOI submission:

1. Enter the required information in the EMSL User Portal

The following information must be entered into the online form in the EMSL User Portal (NEXUS):

  • Proposal Type (Open Calls > Call Name)
  • EMSL Science Area that best fits your proposed research. Please do not select “Other.”
  • Primary Research Category (drop-down options provided)
  • Title
  • Abstract (~400 words)
  • Proposed Research (uploaded PDF document; use only the LOI Template below)
  • Participant Details (name, profession, email, institution, ORCID iD, etc.)
  • Funding for Each Participant
  • Samples/Equipment

2. Prepare and upload the Proposed Research document

Download and complete the FY 2026 FICUS EMSL-JGI LOI template. These responses should be written at a level appropriate for someone familiar with your general area of research who is not necessarily an expert on the specific topic. No references or figures should be included in the LOI form. The form includes the following sections:

  • Title. The project title must be brief, scientifically or technically valid, intelligible to a scientifically or technically literate reader, and suitable for use in the public press.
  • Scientific Questions and Specific Objectives (~250 words). Describe the scientific question(s) being addressed. State the specific objectives of the research proposed (e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm, address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology), providing concise and unambiguous details.
  • Mission Relevance (~100 words). Clearly explain how your research addresses this call’s relevance to the listed call topics and describe the value/impact of its economic or societal importance.
  • Significance (~200 words). Describe (1) the anticipated importance or significance of the results to be obtained and (2) how the data will be used and by which scientific community(ies).
  • Approach or Work Plan (~500 words). Describe the work to be conducted, including the estimated resource needs and how the data produced will be used. Include any preliminary data, background measurements, or tests completed that validate the approach. Address the strategy for preparing and delivering samples to the facilities, providing an approximate timeline. Refer to the JGI sample preparation requirements for details on the quantity and quality of material required for each JGI product type.
  • Types of Resources Needed and Numbers of Samples Expected. Using the template provided above, identify a high-level list of capabilities as relevant at eBERlight (APS), CSMB, EMSL, JGI, and NEON that you are considering for your research approach. At minimum, your proposal should request resources from two facilities and be inclusive of EMSL and/or JGI. Include the numbers of samples being planned if applicable. This list allows management and scientific staff to get an idea of the information that would be needed for a full proposal. You will have the ability to add/remove resources during final proposal submission.
  • NEON Letter of Support. If you are proposing to use soils from the NEON Biorepository, you must also include a letter of support from NEON for the specific samples in your LOI. The PDF version of the letter must be appended to your Project Description PDF file. For more information about the available samples, visit https://www.neonscience.org/samples/find-samples.
    • Note: The turnaround time for the letter of support is typically two weeks.
  • Suggested Reviewers (optional). Proposers may include a list of suggested reviewers who they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and who are not recent collaborators/coauthors.

The completed LOI form must be uploaded as a PDF file to the “Proposed Research” section in the EMSL User Portal.

 

Contacts

For questions about the proposal submission process, please contact User Program Services.

For technical help with NEXUS, please contact NEXUS Support.

For technical and scientific questions: Refer to the proposal call announcement for scientific contacts at each partnering facility.