NSF has applied a mandated global email policy change that may be interfering with NSF communications to and from external email recipients. All email activities may be impacted…
For more information, please link to this blog posted on BIO Buzz.
Updated Funding Opportunity – Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships
The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnershipsprogram has released an updated solicitation calling for preliminary proposals that would ultimately lead to the awarding of five new research STCs. Science and Technology Centers support innovative, potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. These centers can cover research in any topic that is funded by NSF including all areas of biology, and education. They usually include partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities, and international collaborations, as appropriate, to accomplish their research. More information on eligibility and other program specifics can be found in the solicitation 19-567.
Some important details:
- Submissions of preliminary proposals are limited to 3 proposals per institution
- Submissions limited to 1 proposal per PI or co-PI
- Preliminary Proposal Due June 25, 2019
- Full Proposal Due January 27, 2020
Questions can be answered by reaching out to the cognizant program officer. All proposals submitted in response to this STC solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 19-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after February 25, 2019.
HBCU-UP EiR: Webinar on Writing Competitive Proposals
MCB will host a workshop-based webinar on writing competitive proposals for faculty members at HBCU institutions. The webinar will familiarize interested applicants with program directors within the BIO directorate, review the merit review process, provide tips on writing a strong proposal, and encourage prospective PIs to communicate closely with program directors before submitting a Letter of Intent. The deadline to register for this webinar is March 26.
The webinar will focus on the EiR component of NSF solicitation NSF 18-522, the track which supports proposals that enable STEM and STEM education faculty to further develop research capacity at HBCUs and to conduct research. Letters of Intent for the HBCU-UP EiR solicitation are due July 23, 2019. Letters of Intent are required before full proposals (due Oct. 1, 2019) may be submitted.
Valuable information including registration information has been emailed to department heads in departments of biology, life sciences, or related disciplines. If you are a faculty member in a biology-related discipline at an HBCU and have not received this information, please send an email to MCBwebreg@nsf.gov. Interested PIs will indicate their availability from eight possible dates and the webinars will then be scheduled to maximize participation. The registration deadline for the webinar is March 26 to allow MCB time to develop content appropriate to participant interests.
Tips for Writing Effective Reviews
Harnessing the Data Revolution: Informational Webinar and Funding Opportunities
NSF announces an informational webinar, updated deadlines, and new funding opportunities for Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR). HDR is one of the “10 Big Ideas” and represents a national-scale activity to enable new modes of data-driven discovery that will allow fundamental questions to be asked and answered at the frontiers of science and engineering. The HDR vision is realized through an interrelated set of activities and funding opportunities, each designed to amplify the intrinsically multidisciplinary nature of the emerging field of data science.
HDR Webinar
A webinar will present an overview of the new solicitations and other current HDR funding opportunities.
Event: Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR) Information Webinar
Date: February 15, 2019 – 1:00pm until 3:00pm Eastern Time
Updated Submission Deadlines
Due to the recent 35-day lapse in appropriations and shutdown of the agency, NSF is extending the submission deadlines for the following two HDR solicitation.
NSF 19-518 Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Data Science Corps (DSC)
- Full proposals due February 14, 2019
NSF 19-543 Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Institutes for Data- Intensive Research in Science and Engineering – Ideas Labs (I-DIRSE-IL)
- Preliminary proposals (required) due March 4, 2019
- Full proposals due June 19, 2019
New Funding Opportunities
NSF 19-550 Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science Phase I
- Letter of intent due March 25, 2019
- Full proposal window April 24, 2019 – May 8, 2019
NSF 19-549 Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Institutes for Data-Intensive Research in Science and Engineering – Frameworks (I-DIRSE-FW)
- Full proposals due May 7, 2019
MCB is Back Open
MCB is back open and resuming normal duties after a lapse in appropriations. For details on submissions, reviews, and more check out the newest letter from Assistant Director Joanne Tornow on the BIO BUZZ blog.
REMINDER: INTEGRATION INSTITUTES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DUE MARCH 1
The March 1 deadline for submissions to the NSF 19-027 (Dear Colleague Letter: Request for Information-Integration Institutes for Cross-cutting Biology) remains unchanged. For more information about this DCL, please visit the BIO Buzz article posted at this link.
Integration Institutes Request for Information Due March 1
The NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences has published a Dear Colleague Letter: Request for Information seeking ideas from the community on Integration Institutes for cross-cutting biology. These institutes would support collaborative teams of researchers to address questions that span multiple levels of organization in living systems and require expertise from diverse biological subdisciplines.
For more information, please visit the BIO Buzz article posted at this link.
NSF Career Compass Challenge Deadline is Dec. 31
The NSF Career Compass Challenge is a two-part, cash-prize competition seeking innovative solutions to modernize the American workforce. The Challenge addresses the changing nature of work with the goal of improving the workforce capacity to adapt to changing technologies and meet evolving workforce needs. Solvers are asked to go beyond the traditional “career path” thinking and “strategic workforce planning” methodology and to focus on concurrent learning and re-skilling for adults currently in the workforce. Solvers must beat least 14 years old; teachers are encouraged to enter on behalf of their classes.
In Part 1 of this challenge, solvers are asked to submit a concept white paper describing a solution to the challenges of continuous workforce re-skilling and the desire for increased mobility within and between NSF and other Federal agencies (and perhaps even the private sector) as an example. Between one and five papers will be selected, with a one-time cash prize of $5,000 per team. Winning concept papers will be posted on the challenge.gov site. The deadline for Part 1 is Dec. 31, 2018.
In Part 2 of the challenge, solvers are invited to develop a working prototype for government testing and evaluation. The prototype will be based on the winning concepts submitted in Part 1. The team submitting the selected prototype will be awarded a one-time cash prize of $75,000.
Full details and information on how to submit your ideas are available by clicking the “How to enter” tab on the Career Compass Challenge site.
Paid Internship: EBRC Industry Partnership Program
The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) invites PhD candidates at U.S. universities and colleges and small- to medium-sized biotechnology companies to apply for a four-month-long paid internship program to take place this summer (May-Sept). The goal of the program is to better prepare students to enter the “next generation biotech workforce.”
Interns will work on company-designed research projects and professional development activities to build stronger laboratory/analysis skills. Applications are due January 14, 2019.
EBRC is a non-profit, public-private partnership formed to advance the field of synthetic biology, connecting industrial and research communities to catalyze leading-edge research and education programs. EBRC is co-funded by the Systems and Synthetic Biology cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and by the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems under NSF award #1818248.
