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Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID)
Sponsor: US National Science Foundation / US National Institutes of Health / US Department of Agriculture 		Closing Date: 21-Nov-2018
The multi-agency Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program supports research on the ecological, evolutionary, and social principles and processes that influence the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. The central theme of submitted projects must be quantitative or computational understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics. The intent is discovery of principles of infectious disease transmission and testing mathematical or computational models that elucidate infectious disease systems. Projects should be broad, interdisciplinary efforts that go beyond the scope of typical studies. They should focus on the determinants and interactions of transmission among humans, non-human animals, and/or plants. This includes, for example, the spread of pathogens; the influence of environmental factors such as climate; the population dynamics and genetics of reservoir species or hosts; the feedback between ecological transmission and evolutionary dynamics; and the cultural, social, behavioral, and economic dimensions of pathogen transmission. Research may be on zoonotic, environmentally-borne, vector-borne, or enteric pathogens of either terrestrial or freshwater systems and organisms, including diseases of animals and plants, at any scale from specific pathogens to inclusive environmental systems. Proposals for research on disease systems of public health concern to developing countries are strongly encouraged, as are disease systems of concern in agricultural systems. Investigators are encouraged to develop the appropriate multidisciplinary team, including for example, modelers, ecologists, bioinformaticians, genomics researchers, social scientists, economists, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, entomologists, parasitologists, microbiologists, bacteriologists, virologists, pathologists or veterinarians, with the goal of integrating knowledge across disciplines to enhance our ability to predict and control infectious diseases.

A variety of topics, questions, systems and approaches are appropriate. Among the areas of particular interest are: the role of social influences on the susceptibility of individuals or populations; multiway interactions between pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms and their mutual hosts; the role of medical, agricultural or environmental practices on pathogen emergence and transmission; emergence of pathogens from non-pathogenic populations; host switching; evolutionary dynamics in an ecological context such as disease control interventions and drug resistance. These topics have significant ecological and evolutionary components that should be studied as a system, not in isolation. Depending on the hypotheses or research questions being addressed, investigations might entail some combination of laboratory experiments, field observations or manipulations, public health interventions (although clinical trials are beyond the scope of the EEID program), analysis of social and cultural processes, or ethnographic studies. Research may also focus on novel analyses of existing data and/or theoretical investigations of ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Investigations may focus on model infectious disease systems in natural (terrestrial or freshwater) or laboratory settings where those systems elucidate general principles.

Because of the complexity of studies on the ecology and evolutionary ecology of infectious diseases, multidisciplinary teams of domestic and international collaborators with expertise from diverse disciplines are likely to be most effective. Investigators are encouraged to develop collaborations with public health research communities where that is appropriate. Collaborative teams could include, for example: ecologists, epidemiologists, medical scientists, veterinary scientists, evolutionary biologists, social and behavioral scientists, entomologists, food scientists, microbiologists, pathologists, and parasitologists, geologists, hydrologists, geospatial analysts, and mathematicians. The research plan should indicate how multiple disciplines will be integrated and how new investigators in U.S. and collaborating foreign institutions will be prepared to further this research.

Eligibility
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. The NSF rarely provides funding support to non-US institutions, but non-US institutions may participate in collaborative proposals with a U.S. based applicant (proposer). Funding support for a non-U.S. institution may be considered if the proposer considers their involvement to be essential to the project, including meeting one or more of the following conditions:
• contributing a unique organization, facilities, geographic location and/or access to unique data resources not generally available to US investigators (or which would require significant effort or time to duplicate) or other resources that are essential to the success of the proposed project; and/or
• offering significant science and engineering education, training or research opportunities to the US.

In a given year, an individual may participate as a PI, co-PI, or sub-award lead on no more than two proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. This limit does not include Research Coordination Network (RCN) proposals.

Funding
• The maximum total (for all years) award size is USD $2.5 million, including indirect costs. The maximum award duration is five years.
• The maximum award size for RCN proposals is $500,000.
• Approximately 8 new awards are anticipated to be made in FY 2019.

Please see the Program Solicitation for further information.

Key Dates
Applications close with NSF: 21 November 2018, 5.00pm local time of applicant
Future application closing dates: Third Wednesday in November, annually thereafter

Interested UQ researchers are encouraged to contact their US colleagues to discuss possible opportunities for collaboration, or to contact the UQR&I international team (via internationalgrants@research.uq.edu.au) for further information. If you are invited to participate in a proposal, please advise UQR&I at internationalgrants@research.uq.edu.au.
Website: http://nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18581/nsf18581.htm?org=NSF

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