Partnering with PBG

Why would I want to include Plant Breeding and Genomics (PBG) in my proposal?

Increasingly, funding organizations, such as AFRI, are asking for proposals with 1) a significant outreach component including stakeholder engagement, 2) integration of research and outreach, and/or 3) a partnership with an eXtension Community of Practice. A PBG partnership can help your project/proposal deliver all three.

The PBG Community offers tools to facilitate your project’s delivery of high quality, peer-reviewed resources to an international audience of plant breeding and genomics professionals, educators, and researchers. These tools include:

• Publishing of text and video tutorials, case studies, and articles to http://www.extension.org/plant_breeding_genomics
• Webinars delivered from your desk or from a live event to an online audience
• Evaluation of content and activities

In the two years since our launch, our eXtension content has been viewed more than 200,000 times, and our webinars and video tutorials (https://www.youtube.com/plantbreedgenomics) have received around 90,000 views. Currently, PBGworks (http://pbgworks.org) has a membership of over 1000 people from hundreds of institutions and more than 50 countries. The PBG workspace offers project and group management tools, the opportunity to manage a public project website with interactive tools, easy publication of resources to eXtension, and a connection to a dynamic and committed community of experts focused on Plant Breeding and Genomics outreach. PBG facilitates integration of research and outreach, as well as collaborator and stakeholder engagement.

How can I include PBG in my proposal?

As with any collaborative effort, an effective PBG plan of work takes time to develop. Please contact us early in the proposal development process so we can work with you to develop your proposal’s PBG plan of work and budget.

What are the steps to PBG collaboration?

Letter of intent: If the funding program requires a letter of intent, contact PBG a minimum of three weeks before the letter is due so we can work with you on the PBG language.

Proposal: To include PBG in your project, a PBG plan of work and budget with PBG written in as a subaward must be submitted. Contact PBG a minimum of 4 weeks before your proposal is due to allow time to develop a project-specific PBG plan of work, budget, and the subaward paperwork.  Sample budgets are available.

Sample Plan of Work

This document is intended to provide information about the scale and scope of work that collaboration with PBG can offer. Plans of work will be project-specific and budget-dependent. We encourage discussion throughout the proposal development phase so that we can tailor a plan of work for your project accordingly.
 
The Plant Breeding and Genomics (PBG) Community of Practice with eXtension (pronounced e-Extension) (www.eXtension.org/plant_breeding_genomics) will work with this project to provide a secure community management workspace, as well as outreach and publication services that will enhance and support the project’s goals. To learn more about the PBG Community, please visit http://www.pbgworks.org.
 

Community Management
PBG staff will provide the project with tools for secure project management. All projects receive a project workspace at http://pbgworks.org (PBGworks).  The PBGworks content management system is a database-backed web retrieval system. The open-source and modular aspects of the PBGworks DRUPAL infrastructure permit customization (e.g. constructing project databases). Server hosting is through Oregon State University’s Department of Horticulture. Server backup and protective scans of uploaded files will be conducted on a daily basis, providing security and protection. IT support of the workspace and user training are supported through the budget.  Using PBGworks, project members can:

• Share data, files, and images
• Develop and update a public project website
• Use the workspace tools for effective project management and communication
• Collaborate with over 200 members of 23 groups currently using the workspace

Publication
Utilizing PBGworks.org, project members will collaboratively create and edit tutorials, case studies and articles for publishing behind a password protected space. PBG staff will consult with the project to ensure compliance with general web and community standards and protocols (http://pbgworks.org/node/734). Once a piece of content is review ready, PBG staff will facilitate the double-blind peer review process. Following review and author revisions, the content will be subject to an editorial and technical review before final publishing (http://pbgworks.org/node/811). If the content contains links to outside resources, PBG staff will perform periodic link checks to ensure that the published content remains current.

Content can be published to http://www.eXtension.org/plant_breeding_genomics using an ATOM feed, and web-based lessons may also be submitted for publication by indexed, peer-reviewed journals  (e.g. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education (JNRLSE)).  In the case of videos, PBG staff will maintain the PBG YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/plantbreedgenomics) and monitor it for feedback from the public. Alternative video hosting will be arranged for content aimed at an audience that may not have unrestricted access to YouTube.

PBG will provide training and support to maintain compliance with eXtension requirements, including news, ask an expert, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and content evaluation (currently quality and utility as defined by eXtension).

Types of content for publishing include:

• Webinars
• Workshop broadcasts
• Videos
• Case studies and Articles
• Learning modules
• Short courses

Publishing via PBGworks provides the opportunity to add value to content. For example, data, scripts for analysis, and pdf presentations developed for webinars and workshops can be published to eXtension so that they are conveniently available to workshop participants and as a training resource for self-guided or group learning activities. PBG can also facilitate evaluation of webinars and workshops by an external evaluator for an additional cost.

Promotion
PBG will promote the eXtension community of practice and the efforts of its members through media outlets (e.g. the plant breeding news, pbgnews (the PBG newsletter), SeedQuest, National Association for Plant Breeders (NAPB), LinkedIn, etc) and at professional meetings. We can increase the impact of your outreach activities by helping your project reach the desired community of interest.

Sample Project Budgets (link)

Presentation about PBG (video)

Contact Information

Plans of work and associated subaward budgets will vary. For more information on how to include PBG in your proposal and budgets, contact PBG.

David Francis, The Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences, francis.77"at"osu.edu

Alex Stone, Oregon State University Department of Horticulture, stonea"at"hort.oregonstate.edu