Date

Dear Colleague,

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a special
competition to award $50 million in grants under the Biocomplexity in
the Environment (BE) initiative launched by NSF Director Rita Colwell.

This special competition is the second year of a multi-year effort to
enhance our understanding of the nature and dynamics of biocomplexity in
the environment. Specifically, this special competition will support
integrated research to better understand and model complexity that arises
from the interaction of biological, physical, and social systems.

Biocomplexity arises from dynamics spanning several levels within a system,
between systems, and/or across multiple spatial (microns to thousands of
kilometers) and temporal (nanoseconds to eons) scales. This special
competition will specifically support Research Projects which directly
explore nonlinearities, chaotic behavior, emergent phenomena or feedbacks
within and between systems and/or integrate across multiple components or
scales of time and space in order to better understand and predict the
dynamic behavior of systems. The competition will also support Incubation
Activities that enable groups of researchers who have not historically
collaborated on biocomplexity research to develop projects via focused
workshops, virtual meetings, and other types of development and planning
activities.

The complete Program Announcement is available at
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0022/nsf0022.htm

A Message of Intent to submit a proposal is due January 31, 2000, and full
proposals are due March 1, 2000.

Please direct general inquiries about the Biocomplexity: Special
Competition to biocom [at] nsf.gov or to the following Program Officers:

Biological Sciences (BIO)
Ted Elliott
703/306-1479 tel.
eelliott [at] nsf.gov

Computer and Information Engineering (ENG)
Science and Engineering (CISE) Gary Poehlein
Y. T. Chien 703/306-1365 tel.
703/306-1980 tel. gpoehlei [at] nsf.gov
ytchien [at] nsf.gov

Geosciences (GEO) Mathematical and
Phil Taylor Physical Sciences (MPS)
703/306-1587 tel. Jim Rosenberger
prtaylor [at] nsf.gov 703/306-1883 tel.
jrosenbe [at] nsf.gov

Social, Behavioral and Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
Economic Sciences (SBE) Polly Penhale
Cheryl Eavey 703/306-1033 tel.
703/306-1729 tel. ppenhale [at] nsf.gov
E-mail: ceavey [at] nsf.gov