Applications for collaborative research with the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) are being accepted from January 9, 2019 to March 20, 2019. This call is part of the Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science program (FICUS) - a collaboration between user facilities that are stewarded by the Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research. FICUS was established to encourage and enable researchers to more easily integrate the expertise and capabilities of multiple user facilities into their research. The FICUS call between EMSL and JGI represents a unique opportunity for researchers to combine the power of genomics and molecular characterization in one proposed research project.

FICUS applications follow a proposal package guidance, schedule, and review process that is tailored to meet the requirements of the facilities involved. Applications begin with Letters of Intent (LOI), and requests for full proposals will be issued by April 5, 2019 and due on May 5, 2019. Returning users especially are advised to carefully review the unique elements of this joint program as some of the procedures have changed. Details related to the Call will be available on EMSL's website on January 9 (https://www.emsl.pnl.gov/emslweb/call-letters-intent-fy2018-ficus-research-jgi-and-emsl).