How METACyt works

The METACyt Initiative has five nodes, or areas of research, and four centers that provide services and technology to support the research done in the nodes. You may submit a preproposal to one or more node directors at any time (see Proposal submission below). Proposals are evaluated on their merit and relevance to METACyt's goals, and then a select few are chosen for funding by each node. Brief descriptions of projects funded through 2007 can be found in the METACyt retrospective (PDF). Descriptions of the individual nodes are on the Research Nodes page.

Proposal submission

The Indiana University METACyt Initiative is now reaching its last two rounds of yearly RFPs. The process of proposal request and review has undergone substantial modification over the last three years. The end goal of this process is to develop broad scale proposals that:

1. Change the way science is done on our campus
2. Open new areas of research investigation consistent with the METACyt mission
3. Leverage significant funding from extramural sources and achieve self-sustainability

Over the last two rounds of initiatives we have been making great progress toward the goals stated above. To facilitate this process, METACyt is moving toward a rolling preproposal process. We encourage the submission of preproposals at any time that fulfill the goals described above. We ask that those involved in the creation of such preproposals speak directly with Node Directors about the suitability of their ideas for consideration. There is no deadline for preproposal submission, and the dialogue may take as long as necessary. Development of a successful preproposal will lead to a request for a full proposal.

Investigators considering such preproposals are urged to look at funded METACyt proposals -- in particular the Bacterial systems proposal funded in the last round -- as a model for development of a successful proposal. (IU Bloomington researchers should send email to metacyt@indiana.edu to request a copy.) Strong synergy and the opportunity to use resources and strengths that are particular to this campus will be a hallmark of a successful proposal.

METACyt mailing list

The METACyt mailing list is used for announcements and news related to METACyt or of interest to those also interested in METACyt. It is a fairly low-traffic list. Use the listserv web interface to join. List archives are also available on the Web. (Please note that if you are a METACyt project PI, you will receive direct email related to your project. Information about specific projects will never go to the listserv list.)

METACyt contact information

Email to metacyt@indiana.edu will be read promptly and passed along to Node or Center directors as required. You may also contact Node and Center directors directly.