2535692
Cooperative Agreement
Overview
Grant Description
Research infrastructure: Mid-scale RI-1 (M1:IP) genome infrastructure catalyzing next generation Antarctic data, access, tools and analytics.
Nontechnical Antarctic organisms persist under extreme conditions lethal to most life on Earth: months of continuous light followed by darkness, subzero desiccating winds, and the isolation of subglacial lakes sealed for millennia.
Their genomes represent an extraordinary frontier for discovery, containing the signatures of adaptations that have enabled life to persist in some of the planet’s most challenging environments.
By exploring this genomic diversity, researchers can identify the genetic basis of resilience to extreme and rapidly changing conditions and reveal fundamental principles governing how organisms adapt to environmental change across daily, seasonal and evolutionary timescales.
High-quality genome maps are currently unavailable for most Antarctic species.
Most taxonomic lineages are poorly understood at the genome level, and the vast diversity of Antarctic microorganisms, a reservoir of immense potential for biodiscovery, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy, remains largely undescribed.
The Antarctic GIGA DATA mid-scale research infrastructure project will produce reference genomes and gene annotations for more than 250 Antarctic species, alongside 600 microbial and viral genomic datasets prioritized by the U.S. research community.
This project will unite these new data together with existing Antarctic sequencing efforts under a new, artificial intelligence-enabled cyberinfrastructure.
The resulting digital platform will serve as an open, accessible data science gateway to Antarctic life.
These resources will transform ecosystem science in Antarctica.
They will enable researchers to study the diversity, evolution, and resilience of polar organisms at an unprecedented scale, with direct applications to biological systems worldwide.
The project will train a next-generation workforce with vital public skills in genomic data management, bioinformatics, and computational engineering of broad relevance to science, medicine and industry.
Technical polar organisms exhibit unique adaptations for survival; however, less than 0.3% of Antarctic multicellular species have high-quality reference genomes available, and far fewer exist for the vast diversity of single-cellular life.
This project drives a major data expansion by generating reference-quality genomes and annotations for 250 high-priority eukaryotic species and 600 microbial plus viral metagenomes.
Further, the project addresses critical cyberinfrastructure needs by hosting standardized analytical workflows and building an open-access, AI-enabled genomic gateway.
The GIGA DATA project creates a scalable, multi-faceted framework across all domains of polar life to deliver high-quality, FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability) data resources that integrate genome assemblies and associated sample and environmental metadata.
By offering a 3 to 10-fold data increase, the infrastructure enables the multi-user research community to investigate evolutionary mechanisms, biodiversity, and extreme environment resilience of polar organisms at an unprecedented scale.
These insights will transform international ecosystem science and biological modeling, advancing basic research into the rules of life.
This infrastructure will have direct applications to biological systems worldwide.
The data will catalyze biodiscovery, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy through unlocking the reservoir of Antarctic genome information and advancing our knowledge of the diversity of mechanisms underlying cold adaptation across the tree of life.
The project will train a next-generation workforce in genomic data management, bioinformatics, and computational engineering.
Ultimately, this genomic infrastructure and centralized cyberinfrastructure hub expands data access, enhances U.S. international competitiveness in polar research, informs vital conservation policy decisions and fuels biotechnology and bioeconomic development.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are planned for this award.
Nontechnical Antarctic organisms persist under extreme conditions lethal to most life on Earth: months of continuous light followed by darkness, subzero desiccating winds, and the isolation of subglacial lakes sealed for millennia.
Their genomes represent an extraordinary frontier for discovery, containing the signatures of adaptations that have enabled life to persist in some of the planet’s most challenging environments.
By exploring this genomic diversity, researchers can identify the genetic basis of resilience to extreme and rapidly changing conditions and reveal fundamental principles governing how organisms adapt to environmental change across daily, seasonal and evolutionary timescales.
High-quality genome maps are currently unavailable for most Antarctic species.
Most taxonomic lineages are poorly understood at the genome level, and the vast diversity of Antarctic microorganisms, a reservoir of immense potential for biodiscovery, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy, remains largely undescribed.
The Antarctic GIGA DATA mid-scale research infrastructure project will produce reference genomes and gene annotations for more than 250 Antarctic species, alongside 600 microbial and viral genomic datasets prioritized by the U.S. research community.
This project will unite these new data together with existing Antarctic sequencing efforts under a new, artificial intelligence-enabled cyberinfrastructure.
The resulting digital platform will serve as an open, accessible data science gateway to Antarctic life.
These resources will transform ecosystem science in Antarctica.
They will enable researchers to study the diversity, evolution, and resilience of polar organisms at an unprecedented scale, with direct applications to biological systems worldwide.
The project will train a next-generation workforce with vital public skills in genomic data management, bioinformatics, and computational engineering of broad relevance to science, medicine and industry.
Technical polar organisms exhibit unique adaptations for survival; however, less than 0.3% of Antarctic multicellular species have high-quality reference genomes available, and far fewer exist for the vast diversity of single-cellular life.
This project drives a major data expansion by generating reference-quality genomes and annotations for 250 high-priority eukaryotic species and 600 microbial plus viral metagenomes.
Further, the project addresses critical cyberinfrastructure needs by hosting standardized analytical workflows and building an open-access, AI-enabled genomic gateway.
The GIGA DATA project creates a scalable, multi-faceted framework across all domains of polar life to deliver high-quality, FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability) data resources that integrate genome assemblies and associated sample and environmental metadata.
By offering a 3 to 10-fold data increase, the infrastructure enables the multi-user research community to investigate evolutionary mechanisms, biodiversity, and extreme environment resilience of polar organisms at an unprecedented scale.
These insights will transform international ecosystem science and biological modeling, advancing basic research into the rules of life.
This infrastructure will have direct applications to biological systems worldwide.
The data will catalyze biodiscovery, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy through unlocking the reservoir of Antarctic genome information and advancing our knowledge of the diversity of mechanisms underlying cold adaptation across the tree of life.
The project will train a next-generation workforce in genomic data management, bioinformatics, and computational engineering.
Ultimately, this genomic infrastructure and centralized cyberinfrastructure hub expands data access, enhances U.S. international competitiveness in polar research, informs vital conservation policy decisions and fuels biotechnology and bioeconomic development.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are planned for this award.
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "MID-SCALE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE-1", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF24598
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Reno,
Nevada
89512-1095
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
Nevada System Of Higher Education was awarded
Antarctic Genome Infrastructure: Advancing Polar Organism Research
Cooperative Agreement 2535692
worth $18,462,873
from the NSF Office of Integrative Activities in October 2026 with work to be completed primarily in Reno Nevada United States.
The grant
has a duration of 5 years and
was awarded through assistance program 47.083 Integrative Activities.
The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1.
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 9/21/26
Period of Performance
10/1/26
Start Date
9/30/31
End Date
Funding Split
$18.5M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$18.5M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
2535692
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
For-Profit Organization (Other Than Small Business)
Awarding Office
490609 OFFICE OF POLAR PROGRAMS
Funding Office
490106 OFFICE OF INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES
Awardee UEI
MV1JFXA4S621
Awardee CAGE
0K5F8
Performance District
NV-02
Senators
Catherine Cortez Masto
Jacky Rosen
Jacky Rosen
Modified: 9/21/26