Biology Integration Institutes | 20 508

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Biology Integration Institutes (BII)

What is the NSF Biology Integration Institutes (BII) funding opportunity?

The Biology Integration Institutes (BII) opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program intended to support institute-style, team-based collaborations that bring together researchers around broad, unifying biological themes. It is designed to address a long-running trend in biology toward fragmentation into specialized subdisciplines by promoting projects that integrate across multiple areas of biology and, when useful, beyond biology.

What problem is BII trying to solve in the biology research landscape?

BII is meant to counter increasing division of biology into narrow niches. NSF emphasizes that many major modern biological questions cannot be answered within a single subdiscipline, especially given massive and fast-growing data streams and complex issues that span multiple levels of biological organization.

What kinds of biological questions or themes does BII focus on?

BII centers on broad themes that connect processes across scales, including (as described in the opportunity) molecules and cells, tissues, organisms, species interactions, ecosystems, biomes, and Earth system-level biology. The goal is to generate new understanding of how life-sustaining processes and biological innovations emerge, interact, and change across these layers.

What does NSF mean by "integration" in BII?

Integration in BII is described as more than multiple disciplines working in parallel. Projects are expected to be truly integrative, connecting theory, data, and mechanisms across scales and subfields to produce unified frameworks and shared approaches rather than separate, loosely connected efforts.

Does BII allow involvement of disciplines outside biology?

Yes. While the theme is biological, BII may incorporate expertise from outside biology when it strengthens the overarching research theme. Examples named in the opportunity include computer science, statistics, engineering, geosciences, and social sciences.

How does BII relate to societally relevant challenges?

NSF positions BII institutes to tackle urgent and complex questions, including those tied to environmental change, ecosystem resilience, and other societally relevant challenges. The program also highlights the potential for integrated discoveries to contribute to the bioeconomy through new technologies, processes, and solutions informed by biological innovation.

Is training and workforce development required, or is it optional?

Training and workforce development are emphasized as essential components of BII. The opportunity stresses that integrated biology requires researchers who can move between disciplines while maintaining rigor, so institutes are expected to deliver sustainable educational and professional development programs in addition to producing scientific results.

What kinds of training outcomes does NSF expect BII institutes to support?

Based on the description, NSF expects training models that help the next generation of scientists develop cross-disciplinary fluency, learn to collaborate across different scientific cultures, and build skills needed to work with modern biological data and tools, while still developing deep expertise.

What role does cyberinfrastructure play in BII?

Cyberinfrastructure and modern technology are described as key enablers of integration. BII encourages adoption of advances in computing, data systems, and related technologies to make resources more accessible, reusable, and adaptable, including for future uses that may not be anticipated when the resources are created.

Does BII emphasize community standards and shared platforms?

Yes. The opportunity reflects an NSF priority of building shared platforms, workflows, and community standards that reduce friction between subfields and make it easier for others to build on institute outputs, improving how biology is done, shared, and sustained as a collaborative enterprise.

What are the two proposal tracks under BII?

BII offers two tracks: the Design track and the Implementation track. These tracks are intended for teams at different stages of readiness, from early-stage community formation to launching a full institute.

What is the purpose of the Design track?

The Design track supports teams that are still forming a community and refining the overarching idea. The intent is to develop the scientific vision and collaborative foundation through sustained activities such as workshops, follow-up meetings, and other community-building efforts, leading toward strong future submissions to the Implementation track.

What is the purpose of the Implementation track?

The Implementation track is for teams that are ready to launch an institute. NSF expects these proposals to be prepared to begin institute activities with major elements already developed and ready to execute.

What key elements does NSF expect to already be in place for Implementation track proposals?

Implementation track proposals are expected to include: (1) an integrative research plan organized around a significant theme, (2) an education and training approach that balances depth and breadth using effective methods, and (3) a cohesive, sustainable management plan that is ready to be put into action.

What type of funding opportunity is BII from an administrative standpoint?

BII is described as an NSF discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, with CFDA 47.074.

What is the funding opportunity number for this BII solicitation?

The funding opportunity number provided is 20-508.

How many awards are expected under this opportunity?

The provided information lists an expected number of awards of 16.

Is there a maximum award amount (award ceiling) specified?

The source data shows the award ceiling as 0. In the provided description, this is interpreted to typically mean the ceiling is not specified in that particular data field rather than indicating there is no upper limit.

Who runs the BII program?

The program is run by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What was the listed closing date for this opportunity?

The original closing date listed in the provided information is February 6, 2020.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with a note that clarification is referenced in the full solicitation text. The provided summary does not include the detailed eligibility breakdown.

What makes BII "institute-style" rather than a standard research grant?

Based on the description, BII is geared toward coordinated, team-based collaborations that combine integrated research with training programs and enabling cyberinfrastructure practices, supported through a cohesive management approach intended to sustain institute outputs and community impact.

What kinds of activities might a Design track project support?

The opportunity description mentions sustained activities such as workshops, follow-up meetings, and other community-building efforts aimed at forming a research community and refining a shared scientific vision.

What overall outcomes is BII intended to produce for the biology community?

BII is intended to accelerate discovery by producing more unified frameworks and shared approaches, strengthening training pipelines for integrated biology, and improving the accessibility and reusability of resources through modern cyberinfrastructure and community standards.