Biology Integration Institutes | 20 508

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 508

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Biology Integration Institutes (BII) grant opportunity is designed to counter a long-running trend in biology where the field has become increasingly divided into specialized subdisciplines. The program is built around the idea that many of the most important questions in modern biology cannot be answered within a single niche, especially now that researchers are dealing with massive, fast-growing data streams and complex problems that cut across levels of organization. BII focuses on bringing researchers together around broad, unifying biological themes that connect processes operating across scales, from molecules and cells to tissues, organisms, species interactions, ecosystems, biomes, and even Earth system-level biology. The core goal is to support institute-style, team-based collaborations that can generate new understanding about how life-sustaining processes and biological innovations emerge, interact, and change across these different layers of biological organization.

A defining feature of BII is its emphasis on true integration rather than parallel work from multiple fields. Projects are expected to span multiple disciplines within biology and may also incorporate expertise from outside biology when it strengthens the overarching biological research theme. This could include areas such as computer science, statistics, engineering, geosciences, social sciences, or other fields that help teams connect theory, data, and mechanisms across scales. NSF is explicitly positioning these institutes to tackle questions that are increasingly urgent and complex, including those tied to environmental change, ecosystem resilience, and other societally relevant challenges. By producing more unified frameworks and shared approaches, BII is intended to accelerate discoveries that can ultimately translate into applications that contribute to the bioeconomy, such as new technologies, processes, and solutions informed by biological innovation.

Beyond research integration, the opportunity places strong weight on training and workforce development. NSF highlights the need for training models that prepare the next generation of scientists to operate comfortably across the breadth of biological science while still developing deep expertise. In practice, this means institutes should not only produce scientific results, but also deliver sustainable educational and professional development programs that help trainees gain cross-disciplinary fluency, learn to collaborate across different scientific cultures, and build the skills required to work with modern biological data and tools. The program frames this training component as essential, not optional, because integrated biology requires researchers who can move between disciplines without losing rigor.

The solicitation also stresses the importance of cyberinfrastructure and modern technology as enablers of integration. BII encourages the biology community to adopt practices that leverage advances in computing, data systems, and related technologies so that resources are more accessible, reusable, and adaptable, including for purposes that may not be anticipated at the time they are developed. This reflects a broader NSF priority: building shared platforms, workflows, and community standards that reduce friction between subfields and make it easier for others to build on institute outputs. In this sense, BII is not only about producing new knowledge, but also about improving how biology is done, shared, and sustained as a collaborative enterprise.

BII proposals can be submitted through two distinct tracks that reflect different stages of readiness. The Design track supports teams that are still forming a community and refining the big idea. These projects are meant to develop the scientific vision and collaborative foundation through sustained activities such as workshops, follow-up meetings, and community-building efforts, with the expectation that the outcome will be strong, competitive future submissions to the Implementation track. The Implementation track, by contrast, is for teams that are ready to launch an institute. NSF expects these proposals to arrive with three major pieces already in place: an integrative research plan organized around a significant theme, an education and training approach that balances depth and breadth using effective methods, and a cohesive, sustainable management plan that is ready to be put into action.

From an administrative standpoint, this is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 47.074), issued under funding opportunity number 20-508. The listed expected number of awards is 16, and the award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided source data, which typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in that field rather than implying no upper limit. The opportunity is run by NSF, with the original closing date listed as February 6, 2020, and eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with clarification referenced in the full solicitation text. Overall, the program is aimed at supporting institute-level collaborations that combine integrated research, forward-looking training, and modern cyberinfrastructure practices to push biology toward more connected, scalable, and societally useful science.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biology Integration Institutes" 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 Oct 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 06, 2020. (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 16 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 20 508

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