Integrative Research in Biology | 21 622

Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 622

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funding opportunity titled "Integrative Research in Biology" (Funding Opportunity Number 21-622; CFDA 47.074) supports collaborative, interdisciplinary biology projects that take on ambitious, high-impact questions that cannot be answered within a single subdiscipline. The central idea is that meaningful advances in modern biology often require researchers to combine concepts, approaches, datasets, and tools from multiple areas of biology and, where appropriate, bring in cutting-edge methods from adjacent fields. Proposals are expected to be truly integrative rather than simply multi-topic, meaning the collaboration should create clear synergy where the combined effort produces discoveries or understanding that would not emerge from separate, parallel projects.

The solicitation emphasizes research that connects biological understanding across multiple scales of organization. This can include linkages from molecules to cells, cells to tissues, tissues to organisms, organisms to populations, populations to ecosystems, and even up to Earth-scale biological processes. The goal is to produce a more holistic picture of how living systems function and interact, rather than isolated findings confined to one level of analysis. Competitive projects will generally show why integration across scales is essential to the core research question and how the team will translate that integration into substantive biological insight.

NSF also frames this program around the practical importance of integrative biological knowledge for society. The solicitation points to outcomes that can inform solutions to major challenges such as managing natural resources, improving resilience to environmental change, and strengthening global food security. In addition to near-term societal relevance, NSF highlights that foundational discoveries from integrative biology often feed into new technologies and innovations, helping drive the United States bioeconomy. In other words, the program is positioned to support both basic, discovery-driven science and the longer-term translational pathways that can grow out of deeper biological understanding.

A major component of the opportunity is the expectation that projects will be carried out by dynamic, diverse, and collaborative teams. NSF signals that success in integrative biology depends on researchers who can work effectively across disciplinary boundaries, integrate different perspectives, and build shared frameworks for addressing complex systems. Alongside the research, the program strongly values training and education as part of the project’s design. Teams are expected to actively involve and mentor the next generation of scientists, creating an inclusive training environment where students and early-career researchers learn to operate across subdisciplines and develop integrative thinking skills that prepare them to lead future interdisciplinary efforts.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program run by NSF in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. The original closing date listed for the solicitation was January 25, 2022, and NSF anticipated making about 20 awards. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates that a fixed maximum was not specified in the public summary and that applicants should rely on the solicitation’s full guidance and budget justification expectations. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," indicating that prospective applicants would need to consult the full solicitation for specific eligibility rules and partnership requirements.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrative Research in Biology" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 25, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 21 622

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