Call for 1,000 Fungal Proteins Proposals, FY 2026

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is seeking Targeted and Thematic proposals to contribute to the ongoing 1,000 Fungal Proteins community science campaign. Through these calls, researchers from around the world can apply to use EMSL resources and collaborate with EMSL scientists at no cost.

The 1,000 Fungal Proteins campaign aims to utilize biochemical and structural biology resources, both experimental and computational (including simulation, data analytics, and informatics), to accelerate the annotation of proteins of unknown function across the fungal kingdom. User samples can enter the campaign pipeline at various points, including users who already have proteins or metabolites highly purified and available for shipment to those users who only have a gene or protein sequence (such as those found in the Joint Genome Institute's Mycocosm).

Samples of interest to 1,000 Fungal Proteins include:

• Target protein sequences
• Target genes that are cell-free vectored
• Target proteins or multi-protein complexes that have been purified
• Fungal cells with a high copy of the target protein in vivo

Proposal Types

Targeted proposals should be narrow in scope (up to five target proteins, for example) and the team should consist of a single PI with any number of participants, but at most only one co-PI. Accepted proposals are valid for one calendar year.  

Thematic proposals help pull together a consortium of researchers to tackle a bigger science challenge than a single group could address. Individual proposals can be submitted by a single PI, multiple PIs, or teams from multiple institutions with any number of participants. Accepted proposals are valid for up to two calendar years. Thematic proposals MUST align with one of the topic areas for fungal bioproduction below. Proposals related to other focus areas should be submitted as Targeted proposals.

Fungal bioproduction topics:

• Product‑forming enzymes (intra- or extracellular)
• Protein secretion machinery
• Cell wall/morphogenesis
• Transporters and pumps
• Organic acid production modules
• Metal and mineral interaction (siderophore biosynthesis and uptake)
• Stress tolerance

How to Submit

Submit a proposal in the EMSL User Portal following the 1,000 Fungal Proteins proposal template. The same template can be used for Targeted and Thematic proposals. After submission, you will be sent a Google Form link to submit additional information about your target proteins. Proposal authors should email James Evans in advance of submission if you are planning to prepare a Thematic proposal.

Qualifying Criteria

All proposals will be evaluated on:

• Relevance to the U.S. Department of Energy Biological and Environmental Research program's mission as well as alignment with the campaign topics
• Aggregated target protein feasibility score based on sequence, size, class, etc.
• Overall capacity of the campaign

Instruments and Resources

1,000 Fungal Proteins projects may access and use most EMSL instrumentation and resources, including:

• Cell-free expression pipeline
• Native mass spectrometry
• Nuclear magnetic resonance
• Krios cryo-transmission electron microscope
• Aquilos 2 cryo-focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope
• Tahoma mid-range scientific computing

Final determination and allocation of resources will be made by EMSL staff after proposal evaluation and award.