Building Synthetic Microbial Communities for Biology, Mitigating Climate Change, Sustainability and Biotechnology

0 Saves · 0 Shares · 0 Comments Discussion

Grant Name

Funder

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Country or Region

United States

Research Field

Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Deadline

Aug 01, 2024 12:00:00 AM EDT

Grant Size

$9,500,000

Contact Info

National Science Foundation Grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants:

Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

Grant Number

22-607

Description

Microbes and communities of microbes have remarkable genetic, physiological and biochemical diversity, allowing them to flourish in environments all over the planet and in a variety of substrates and hosts. Given their relative importance to ecosystems around the world, to the economy and to health, researchers have studied microbial systems extensively and have a better understanding of their capabilities and impacts on hosts and the environment. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to microbes and their diverse capabilities for bioremediation and applications in biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. Because of advances in molecular biology, synthetic biology and bioengineering, researchers now have the ability to assemble synthetic microbial communities that have novel compositions, genetics and phenotypes and to use these communities to address both fundamental biological questions and a range of societal problems. The goal of this solicitation is to support research that addresses one or more of the three themes: 1) define the underlying mechanisms or rules that drive the formation, maintenance or evolution of synthetic microbial communities, 2) use synthetic microbial communities to address fundamental biological questions, including questions in molecular biology, cellular/organismal biology, ecology and evolution and/or 3) build synthetic communities with biotechnology, bioeconomy or environmental engineering applications, including but not limited to the production of novel biorenewable chemicals, biodegradation of recalcitrant or “forever chemicals,” enabling a circular bioeconomy, fostering sustainable agriculture and mitigating the impacts of climate change. For theme 3, the emphasis should be on designing communities with novel capabilities and understanding the underlying mechanisms that lead to these novel capabilities.
Proposals must address one or more of the three themes noted above. Highest funding priority is given to proposals that have outstanding intellectual merit and broader impacts, while proposals with weaknesses in either category (or those that are perceived as likely to have an incremental impact) will not be competitive. The most competitive broader impacts include assessment plans. Well-conceived broader impacts activities take time and resources; thus, proposers are encouraged to include appropriate costs for broader impacts in the budget.
To better understand the societal benefits and risks, as well as the potential for misuse or unintended damage to natural biological systems, synthetic microbial communities proposals should include a careful consideration of the social, ethical, and biosafety/security dimensions of the research. Investigators may choose to address these issues either as part of intellectual merit or broader impacts.
Reproducibility in research leads to data that is amenable to more powerful analysis and the potential for reuse of data and greater generation of knowledge. Reproducibility in biological research that is prone to context dependent biological variation presents a unique challenge for the synthetic microbial communities researchers. Investigators must follow or advance best practices in sample collection and preparation, experimental design, data analysis, model generation, and/or validation of mathematical and computational methods to produce scientifically defensible results.

Website

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf22607

Funding resources
Purdue Grant Writing Lab: Introduction to Grant Writing	Open Link
University of Wisconsin Writing Center: Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal	Open Link

Quick share

Add deadline to calendar

Aug 01, 2024 12:00:00 AM EDT

Have a funding opportunity that you want to list here?

Submit the grant details to support@peeref.com for review and listing.

Suggest reading

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Profile

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Profile

Empowering Innovation: A Spotlight on the National Science Foundation

Find Funding. Review Successful Grants.

Explore over 25,000 new funding opportunities and over 6,000,000 successful grants.

Explore

Find the ideal target journal for your manuscript

Explore over 38,000 international journals covering a vast array of academic fields.

Related opportunities

Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit: Science and Technology and other Researc... Jul 15, 2024 12:00:00 AM EDT 499999

Assisting Specialty Crop Exports: Increasing Data Generation for Codex and Harmonized MRL Setting: Agriculture Jul 17, 2024 12:00:00 AM EDT 2000000

Nature Governance: N/A 2024-09-19 €3500000

Closing the research gaps on Essential Biogeochemical Ocean Variables (EOVs) in support of global assessments: Ocean and Climate Change 2024-09-24 €5000000

BBSRC Network Grant: responsive mode 2024 round 3: N/A 25 September 2024 £100,000 - £650,000

F25AS00014 Sea Duck Joint Venture FY25 Competitive Grants: Natural Resources Sep 30, 2024 12:00:00 AM EDT 300000

Prevention, detection, response and mitigation of chemical, biological and radiological threats to agricultural production, feed and food processing, distribution and consumption: Detection technology 2024-11-20 €8000000

CBRN-E detection capacities in small architecture: Artificial Intelligence 2024-11-20 €6000000

Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program: Agriculture Dec 31, 2024 12:00:00 AM EST 2500000

Legacy Resource Management Program: Natural Resources Jun 20, 2025 12:00:00 AM EDT 30000000

Funding resources