NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIOINSPIRED DESIGN 

NSF released two new Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs) focused on bio-inspired design and prioritizing interdisciplinary collaborations: 

BioDesign DCL 
Through the new BioDesign DCL, the MCB Core Programs aim to facilitate the translation of knowledge generated through research in the biological and engineering sciences to solutions and prototypes needed for societal and economic impacts.  

Specifically, the DCL seeks to:  

  • Encourage early-stage, transdisciplinary collaboration of two or more investigators doing research in biological and engineering sciences with the potential for bioinspired design applications; and 
  • Accelerate the translation of research findings into projects with potential societal and economic impacts that could be ready for commercialization. 

Both full proposals and supplemental funding requests will be accepted. All submissions should test hypotheses about the functioning of living things that are of interest to biologists and engineers; create an iterative process between foundational and use-inspired research to create a design that solves a practical problem; and develop prototypes based on these activities as part of a process of exploring pathways to larger societal and economic benefits. 

Additional participating programs in the BIO, ENG, and TIP Directorates are listed at the end of the DCL. Investigators are strongly encouraged to speak to a participating program director (listed with email contacts in the BioDesign DCL) before submitting a proposal or supplemental funding request. 

Convergence Accelerator Track M 

This DCL alerts the community to an upcoming solicitation from NSF’s Convergence Accelerator with three tracks, including Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations (the other tracks are also BIO-relevant so check them out). Track M aims to bring together cross-sector teams to develop concepts, approaches, and technologies that capitalize on millions of years of evolution to find novel solutions to major societal and economic challenges. The track was chosen based on the results of an NSF-funded community workshop on Bio-Inspired Design. Broad topics within this track may include – but are not limited to – the following: 

  • Development of materials with features such as programmable self-assembly, multi-modal sensing, computation, memory, adaptation, and healing and regenerative capabilities. 
  • Novel manufacturing capabilities that harness advances in synthetic biology, bioengineering, nanofabrication, and 3D printing. 
  • Engineering complex systems with novel properties based on principles of synthetic biology, bioengineering, and robotics or organismal biology (e.g., organoids, microbial consortia, collective swarms). 
  • Computational modeling and theory-enabled methods and tools for bio-inspired designs. 
  • Applications in areas including, but not limited to, environmental monitoring, bioremediation and preservation, sustainable materials, biological manufacturing, personalized healthcare, resilient infrastructure, and agriculture and food production. 

For more information on the Convergence Accelerator program, check out the previous 2022 solicitation and the Convergence Accelerator program page. The 2022 solicitation can provide guidance on review criteria and other topics until the 2023 solicitation is published.  

Should you have questions about this DCL, please contact the Convergence Accelerator program at Convergence-Accelerator@nsf.gov. 

NEW GLOBAL CENTERS PROGRAM AIMS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES IN CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLEAN ENERGY

NSF has announced a new Global Centers (GC) program, an ambitious effort to fund international, interdisciplinary collaborative research centers that will apply best practices of broadening participation and community engagement to develop use-inspired research on climate change and clean energy. Centers are also expected to create and promote opportunities for students and early career researchers to gain education and training in world class research while enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

International Partnerships

Given the global scale of the challenge of responding to climate change, NSF has partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in Canada, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in the United Kingdom. These international partners will fund non-U.S.-based parts of teams under one of two tracks in the program.

Program Tracks

  • Track 1: Global Center Implementation will support the first Global Centers involving research partnerships with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Awards will be up to $5 million total per award of 4-to-5-year duration. Foreign teams will be funded by their respective country agencies.Full proposals for Track 1 are due by May 10, 2023.
  • Awards will be up to $250,000 total per award of 2-year duration.The proposal window for Track 2 is between April 2, 2023 and May 10, 2023.

Opportunities to Learn More

Program Webinar

The GC program team hosted a webinar to introduce the new solicitation to the community and give potential PIs an opportunity to ask questions. The webinar was recorded and can be viewed here.

Virtual Office Hours

The GC program team is also hosting a series of Virtual Office Hours aimed at giving potential PIs an opportunity to ask questions. The series starts on March 7 and ends on May 2. Any questions about the program can be asked at any session, although two of the sessions will have a special focus: Monday March 13 (Non-R1 Institutions) and Monday March 20 (Minority Serving Institutions).Session dates and times can be found on the event page.

There are no restrictions on attending multiple sessions, so please feel free to attend the session which best fits your schedule. The Zoom link will be the same for all sessions.

SECOND VIRTUAL OFFICE HOUR ON NEW REQUIREMENT FOR SAFE AND INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS PLAN

As was noted previously in this blog, several solicitations from the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO) and Geological Sciences (GEO) will soon require the submission of a Safe and Inclusive Work Environments Plan (list of those solicitations below) that will be considered as part of the Broader Impacts criteria during the review process.

A virtual office hour was held on February 7. Slides and a recording are available at https://beta.nsf.gov/events/safe-inclusive-working-environments-requirements/2023-02-07.

A second Virtual Office Hour will occur on March 20, 2023 from 3 – 4 PM ET. Program Officers from BIO and GEO will provide an overview of the new requirement and take your questions and comments.

As a reminder, this 2-page supplementary document must address the following four sections:

  1. a brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team;  
  2. the steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events;   
  3. communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone); and   
  4. the organizational mechanisms that will be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment if they arise.   

If you are planning a submission that will involve off-campus or off-site research, defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site including via fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft, we encourage you to join this webinar. 

Register for the webinar HERE

The solicitations that currently include this requirement are:

  • BIO Core Solicitations:
    • Division of Environmental Biology (NSF 23-549) 
    • Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (NSF 23-547) 
    • Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (NSF 23-548) 
  • Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP, NSF 23-542) 
  • Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP, NSF 23-559)
  • Pathways into the Geosciences (GEOPAths NSF 23-540) 
  • Cultural Transformation in the Geosciences Community (CTGC NSF 23-539) 

See the previous post at https://mcbblog.nsfbio.com/2023/01/25/dont-miss-it-virtual-office-hour-featuring-the-new-safe-and-inclusive-work-environments-plan-requirement-for-off-campus-or-off-site-research/.

SAN DIEGO, HAVE YOU SPOTTED OUR PROGRAM DIRECTORS? 

From February 18th to the 22nd, these NSF Program Directors will be at the Biophysical Society Meeting in San Diego: 

Wilson FranciscoProgram Director, Molecular Biophysics ClusterMCBwfrancis@nsf.gov
Engin SerpersuProgram Director, Molecular Biophysics ClusterMCB eserper@nsf.gov 
Ishita MukerjiProgram Director, Molecular Biophysics ClusterMCBimukerji@nsf.gov 
Karen ConeActing Division DirectorMCBkccone@nsf.gov 
Theresa GoodActing Deputy Assistant DirectorBIOtgood@nsf.gov

If you see them, say hi! You can also reach them via their emails. They would love to hear your ideas. 

NSF-DOE/ABF COLLABORATION FEASIBILITY REVIEW DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 1ST, 2023

It’s not too late to request a feasibility review for NSF 22-549, “Accelerating Innovations in Biomanufacturing Approaches through Collaborations Between NSF and the DOE BETO funded Agile BioFoundry”. The deadline for requesting feasibility reviews from the Agile BioFoundry is extended to March 1st.  

Make your request here.

This funding opportunity will provide support for synthetic and engineering biology research projects that have the potential to leverage the unique capabilities at the Agile BioFoundry to further the development of the fundamental research towards eventual translation. Read more about the Agile Biofoundry here.

MOLECULAR FOUNDATIONS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY (MFB)

PARTNERSHIPS TO TRANSFORM EMERGING INDUSTRIES – RNA TOOLS/BIOTECHNOLOGY

NSF 23-554

The National Science Foundation, in partnership with the NIH National Human Genome Research Institute, announces the release of the 2023 Molecular Foundations for Biotechnology (MFB) solicitation (NSF 23-554). The MFB program invites proposals to develop fundamentally new approaches in molecular sciences to drive new directions in biotechnology.

In recent years, fundamental discoveries and technological breakthroughs have revealed a rich landscape of coding and noncoding RNA functions in the cell. The variety and prominent roles of RNAs in enabling and regulating cellular growth, development, and a myriad of functions present exciting opportunities for mechanistic research coupled with technological development centered on this versatile nucleic acid. This solicitation calls for proposals to develop and provide proof-of-concept testing of tools, methodology and/or theory that address one or both themes below:

  1. Accelerate fundamental discoveries about RNA structure, interactions, and functions at molecular or genome and transcriptome-wide scales, and/or
  2. Create innovative RNA-based applications for various sectors of the bioeconomy such as agriculture, energy production, or efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve environmental sustainability, and/or combat global pandemics.

Letter of Intent Due Date (required): March 16, 2023

Full Proposal Due Date:  May 11, 2023

Register for information sessions with live Q&A:

Check the MFB program site for information on additional sessions.

MCB WELCOMES ISMAEL ‘IZZY’ GONZALEZ  

Ismael joined MCB in December 2022 as a Program Specialist

What is your educational background?
Prior to working at NSF, I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in film theory/studies. Before that, I moved around a lot and attended various high schools. I went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland for a year, then I went to Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut, and I graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD.

When did you start working for MCB and what was your first week like? 

I started working for MCB about a month ago. My first week was not extremely busy on the workload front as I was more focused on onboarding, training, and meeting my new team. Within the first week I felt like I was able to connect with several different professionals who thrive in their fields from admin staff to program directors and science specialists.  

What has surprised you most about working at NSF? 

What has surprised me most about working at NSF is the culture and how happy many people are to work here. Prior to MCB, I was in the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and even though these are different divisions I hear the same thing everywhere I go. “This is the best place I have ever worked” and “I love NSF.” It is great to be in a place where people are hardworking but also enjoy the work that they do and the mission that they serve. 

When friends or colleagues find out that you work at NSF, what do they say or ask? 

Given the fact that I was not a STEM major in college, whenever I tell my buddies from undergrad where I work, they are in shock. Everyone wants to know if I am overseeing NASA projects or working on supporting breakthroughs in military technology. To that I usually respond “not quite” but I find it amusing that they imagine me in a mad scientist role.   

DON’T MISS IT! VIRTUAL OFFICE HOUR FEATURING THE NEW SAFE AND INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS PLAN REQUIREMENT FOR OFF-CAMPUS OR OFF-SITE RESEARCH

Tuesday Feb. 7, 2023 3:30- 4:30 ET

Several solicitations from the Directorates for Biosciences (BIO) and Geological Sciences (GEO) will soon require the submission of a Safe and Inclusive Work Environments Plan (list of those solicitations below) that will be considered as part of the Broader Impacts criteria during the review process. An upcoming Virtual Office Hour listening session will occur on February 7, 2023. Program Officers from BIO and GEO will provide an overview of the new requirement and take your questions and comments.

This 2-page supplementary document must address the following four sections:

  1. a brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team; 
  2. the steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events;  
  3. communication processes within the off-site team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone); and  
  4. the organizational mechanisms that will be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment if they arise.   

If you are planning a submission that will involve off-campus or off-site research, defined as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site including via fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft, we encourage you to join this webinar.

Register for the webinar HERE

The solicitations that currently include this requirement are:

  • BIO Core Solicitations:
    • Division of Environmental Biology (NSF 23-549)
    • Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (NSF 23-547)
    • Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (NSF 23-548 )
  • Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP, NSF 23-542)
  • Pathways into the Geosciences (GEOPAths NSF 23-540)
  • Cultural Transformation in the Geosciences Community (CTGC NSF 23-539)

NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR HELIUM RECOVERY VIA MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) PROGRAM, TRACK 3

The Dear Colleague Letter: NSF Options to Address Helium Supply Short Concerns (NSF 22-088) has been archived and replaced by Track 3 in the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) solicitation  (23-519).  In 2023, MRI will have two submission windows:  January 16-February 21 and October 16-November 15.

The MRI Program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation’s institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations.  An MRI proposal may request up to $4 million for either acquisition or development of a research instrument. 

The Tracks for MRI proposals have been revised and now include:

  • Track 1: Track 1 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than $100,000 and less than $1,400,000.
  • Track 2: Track 2 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,400,000 up to and including $4,000,000.
  • Track 3: Track 3 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000 and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to conserve or reduce the consumption of helium.

Please note that each performing organization may submit up to four MRI proposals:  no more than two submissions in Track 1, no more than one submission in Track 2, and no more than one submission in Track 3. 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY AND WEBINAR: “ACCELERATING INNOVATIONS IN BIOMANUFACTURING APPROACHES THROUGH COLLABORATION BETWEEN NSF AND THE DOE BETO FUNDED AGILE BIOFOUNDRY (NSF-DOE/ABF COLLABORATION)”

A webinar will be co-hosted on Wednesday January 25th, 2023 by teams from the NSF, BETO, and ABF.  The webinar will describe the objectives of this funding opportunity, discuss key considerations, as spelled out in the solicitation, lay out steps for submitting, and emphasize key dates.

To register for this webinar – Click Here.

The Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (DOE BETO) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences Directorate and Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems in the Engineering Directorate announce a collaborative funding opportunity, “Accelerating Innovations in Biomanufacturing Approaches through Collaboration Between NSF and the DOE BETO funded Agile BioFoundry (NSF-DOE/ABF Collaboration)”,  NSF 22-549. 

To help advance the U.S. bioeconomy, this funding opportunity will provide support for synthetic and engineering biology research projects that have the potential to leverage the unique capabilities at the Agile BioFoundry to further the development of the fundamental research towards eventual translation. The topical areas of interest should align with the broad interests of both NSF and DOE BETO.

Thematic areas of particular interest include: 1) expansion of the range of host organisms amenable to the tools of synthetic and engineering biology; 2) development of novel biotechnology approaches to mitigate climate change; 3) projects that advance a circular bioeconomy; and 4) development of affordable, bio-based, sustainable aviation fuel or other products of interest to NSF and DOE BETO that can demonstrate significant climate change mitigation and/or greenhouse gas reductions over a petroleum baseline. The potential economic and environment impact of the project is also a consideration.

Researchers from institutions of higher education and nonprofits are eligible to apply.  Prior to submission of the NSF proposals, project ideas must be evaluated by ABF for feasibility (see below).  Full proposals will be submitted to and reviewed by NSF, and projects selected for support will be confirmed for suitability by ABF.  Successful projects will include funding from NSF for the work performed at the Principal Investigator’s (PI’s) institution and funding from BETO to support the part of the project to be completed by the ABF. DOE BETO will support the work at ABF through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Visit ABF’s Work-With-Us page for more details, including the current CRADA document. 

The deadline for proposal submission is Tuesday, April 18th, 2023.  Proposed projects entail close collaboration with the ABF team. Therefore, prior to submission, PIs are required to request a feasibility review of the project for which ABF collaboration is desired, using the template located here. Once a project has been deemed feasible by the ABF, PIs will coordinate with ABF investigators and refine scope and budget details. PIs will be provided a feasibility evaluation document to submit with their NSF proposals. The proposal timeline is as follows:

  • February 15th, 2023 – PIs submit outline of proposed work to ABF for feasibility review. Prior to submission deadline, PIs are encouraged to review ABF capabilities.
  • March 1st, 2023 – ABF provides feedback to PIs and NSF on the feasibility of the proposed work. PIs with a positive feasibility review will coordinate with the ABF team to refine scope and budget for the full proposal.
  • April 18th, 2023 – PIs submit full proposal along with feasibility review documentation from ABF.

NSF will review proposals according to the standard merit review criteria along with specific criteria that are detailed in the solicitation.  Proposers are encouraged to review ABF capabilities and intellectual property provisions of the CRADA prior to submission. 

For full details on submission instructions, solicitation requirements, and contact information, see NSF 22-549.