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Call for Metal-Binding Biomolecules Campaign, FY 2027

Submit Proposal

Timeline

Proposal Call Opens

Open until capacity reached.

Decision notices and earliest project start date: ~4 weeks after submission

Project period: Valid for 12 months from project start

EMSL invites proposals to advance the understanding of how microbes—bacteria and fungi—bind, transport, transform, and selectively interact with metals. Researchers worldwide may apply to use EMSL resources and collaborate with EMSL scientists at no cost to the submitting researchers through this call. Proposed work must align with the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science's Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program and be relevant to DOE's critical minerals and materials.

The Metal-Binding Biomolecules Community Science Campaign will use a coordinated multiomics approach to investigate the mechanisms of metal selectivity and interaction across diverse microbial strains, species, and experimental systems. Investigators will design biologically appropriate culture experiments addressing their own scientific questions, while EMSL will apply harmonized analytical workflows, quality requirements, and metadata standards to enable comparison and integration across projects.

Scope

Each proposal may include up to 24 experimental groups, including biological controls, for a maximum of 96 biological samples with a minimum of four biological replicates (see example diagram below). A sample may consist of a cell pellet and its associated culture supernatant. Media, process, and analytical blanks are additional and don't count towards the total sample count. Alternative designs require consultation with EMSL before submission.
 

Diagram titled 1 design can use 24-group allocation; 4 strains by 3 exposure conditions by 2 harvest times. In table, group of 3 columns titled Early Harvest say, No added metal. Metal X. Metal Y. More columns titled Late Harvest say, No added metal. Metal X. Metal Y. Row titles say Strain A1, A2, A3, A4. Beneath it says, 4 strains by 3 exposures by 2 times equals 24 experimental groups. Multiplied by 4 replicates equals 96 samples. Each sample yields matched cell pellet and culture supernatant.
Each proposal may include up to 24 experimental groups, including biological controls, for a maximum of 96 biological samples with a minimum of four biological replicates.


Project teams will receive a core analytical multiomics and metals package with raw and standardized processed data (see Instruments and Resources section below).

Following EMSL's embargo period, compatible project data generated through the campaign will be curated into Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable data packages with standardized metadata, analytical workflows, and processed datasets to enable broader cross-strain and cross-species analyses of microbe–metal interactions. Campaign participants will be invited to an annual campaign workshop held in conjunction with the EMSL User Meeting to synthesize data across projects.

Sample Requirements

This call is limited to bacterial and fungal systems. Microbial communities are outside its scope. Toxicity-only studies, radioactive samples, and radionuclide-focused work are not eligible.

Applicants proposing engineered or pathogenic strains must contact EMSL before submission so that permitting, biosafety, and technical feasibility can be evaluated.

Samples of Interest

  • Axenic bacterial or fungal cultures provided as matched cell pellets and culture supernatants
  • Purified or sufficiently enriched proteins, protein complexes, or metabolites for molecular characterization

Samples must be ready to ship to EMSL within three months of the project start date. Awarded projects that do not send samples within this time frame may be canceled.

Instruments and Resources

Metal-Binding Biomolecules projects will be provided with a core analytical package including the following: 

Projects may request access to additional EMSL resources for complementary analyses when scientifically justified. Applicants planning to request additional analyses should consult EMSL staff before submission.

Final resource allocation will be determined by EMSL staff after proposal evaluation and award.

How to Submit

Submit a proposal through Science Central using the Metal-Binding Biomolecules Campaign proposal template. (See "Related Links" section on this webpage.) Applicants proposing alternative designs, engineered strains, or pathogenic strains must consult EMSL staff before submission.

Qualifying Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Priority will be given to researchers with BER funding aligned with the campaign. For example, this includes work that is BER-funded or DOE Office of Science-funded research that is BER-aligned (e.g., Genesis Mission Award winners). BER researchers should email Campaign Lead Will Kew if their desired analytics fall outside the scope of core and complementary analytics defined for this proposal call. Eligible proposals will generally be accepted in submission order until capacity is reached.