News

Growing Convergence Research (GCR): A funding opportunity to support new forms of deep integration across disciplines

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An updated solicitation has been published for the NSF-wide Growing Convergence Research (GCR) program with a submission deadline of April 12, 2024 (NSF 24-527).

What is “Convergence Research” in this context?
GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics:

  • Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs.
  • Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities.

Thus, the GCR solicitation targets multidisciplinary teams who are embracing convergence research as a means of developing highly innovative solutions to complex research problems. GCR proposals are expected to be bold and address scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which, if resolved, have the potential to transform scientific understanding and solve vexing problems. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and developing novel paradigms that catalyze scientific discovery and innovation.

What are the components of a successful proposal?
Successful GCR projects are anticipated to lead to paradigm shifting approaches within disciplines, establishment of new scientific communities, or development of transformative technologies that have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact.

The proposing team should be comprised of researchers from different disciplines that do not typically work together in the proposed research areas and are crucial to catalyze the proposed scientific discovery and innovation. Proposers must make a convincing case that the research to be conducted is within NSF’s purview, integrates across NSF directorate or division boundaries, and is currently not supported by other NSF programs or solicitations.

Opportunities to learn more
There are several ways interested members of the community can learn more about the GCR program:

  • The GCR program will be holding office hours on Tuesdays or Wednesdays through the end of March 2024. To speak with a GCR Program Director about a newly planned or revised GCR proposal, an appointment may be made on the GCR Office Hours Calendar.
    • Principal Investigators seeking feedback on a planned proposal should send a one-page (maximum) synopsis to gcr@nsf.gov.
    • The synopsis must describe the specific scientific problem to be addressed, the project’s responsiveness to the GCR solicitation, and the new knowledge and changes in research paradigms that are anticipated.
  • All other inquiries should be addressed to gcr@nsf.gov.
  • You can always refer to the GCR program solicitation (NSF 24-527) for more details.

January 2023 Virtual Office Hours Recap:  Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) 

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On January 8, 9, and 18, 2024, BIO Divisions hosted Virtual Office Hours to present information on opportunities for the BIO research communities to get involved in sharing their research ideas on the bioeconomy.  Karen Cone and Brent Miller, science advisors from the Directorate for Biological Sciences Office of the Assistant Director and CASA-Bio organizers, provided highlights.   

Slides are available to the right.

casa-bio-slides-for-voh_011824Download

These sessions were part of ongoing office hours series on topics of relevance to the biological sciences community from DEB, MCB, and IOS. 

Some key takeaway points: 

  • Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio; www.casa-bio.net) is a collaborative, facilitated activity, inspired by the Executive Order (EO) on was inspired by the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.
    • Released by the White House in September of 2022, the EO laid out a grand vision to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing through foundational and use-inspired research and development in five thematic areas (Bioeconomy EO Themes): climate change, food and agriculture, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross cutting areas to advance all these areas.
    • Moreover, the EO called for this vision to be enabled by collaboration among government, industry, the private sector, and public sector researchers. 
  • In December 2023, stakeholder representatives from Federal agencies, industry, and non-profits met to identify their shared interest in a group of Subtheme Challenges that span the five Bioeconomy EO Themes.  You can view these at www.casa-bio.net.  
  • Now, there is an opportunity for the research community to provide input for the next step in the CASA-Bio activity!  

Some representative questions from Q&A sessions: 

How can I participate in CASA-Bio? 
There are two ways to participate.  1) Attend a Virtual Town Hall in February (Feb 12, 15, 20, or 22) to share your ideas about bioeconomy-relevant research, and/or 2) Share your research ideas online.   

What is the bioeconomy, and what kinds of research would benefit the bioeconomy?
Bioeconomy is defined as economic activity derived from biotechnology and biomanufacturing.  Biotechnology, in turn, is defined as technology that applies to and/or is enabled by life science innovation or product development.  Biomanufacturing is the use of biological systems to produce goods and services at a commercial scale.   

Many kinds of research could benefit the bioeconomy, ranging from basic, fundamental research all the way to applied research that is ready for commercialization.  Collaborative research across many disciplines and subdisciplines is needed to contribute to the bioeconomy, including, but not limited to: biology at all scales (molecules, organisms, communities, ecosystems), biomedicine, biotechnology, agriculture, food technology, genetics, microbiology, engineering, chemistry, materials science, robotics, environmental science, renewable energy, geology, mathematics, computational science, data science, economics, and social and behavioral sciences. 

I like to interact with others while generating ideas. Can I do this with CASA-Bio?
The Virtual Town Halls will be perfect for you!  Most of the time will be devoted to small-group discussions where you can find synergy through brainstorming with others. 

If I share my ideas, how is intellectual property handled?
Ideas discussed in the context of CASA-Bio are meant to be shared.  Patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, disclosure of which may harm the submitter, should not be included when sharing ideas. Check out the how we will use  your input link on www.casa-bio.net.  

Will I be able to get research funding through CASA-Bio?
There is no funding stream dedicated to CASA-Bio and no planned call for proposals through CASA-Bio.  The research ideas shared online and through the CASA-Bio Town Halls will be used to provide insights into the research topics you as the community are poised to contribute to for advancing the bioeconomy.   

Can I attend more than one Town Hall?
Yes.  Each Town Hall will have the same format, but participating in more than one will permit you to interact with and brainstorm with multiple groups of researchers.  That said, you are welcome to attend just one Town Hall. 

What comes after the Town Halls?
The ideas shared by the research community online and at the Town Halls will be analyzed using text mining and AI to identify common themes, trends, and topics.  This aggregate view will be evaluated by stakeholders from funding agencies, industries, and non-profits to converge on a subset of research ideas for which there is shared interest.  Then, those ideas will become topics for additional research community engagement through future workshops and roadmapping aimed at developing an bigger and more robust picture of how research can advance the U.S. bioeconomy.  Check out the Action Plan on www.casa-bio.net. 

New Web Pages Connect Funding Opportunities to Societal Challenges

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Research funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO)  and other directorates at NSF have a long history of helping to address societal challenges. From the basic science that identified the enzymes critical to PCR to increased understanding of fire regimes that has helped mitigate the impacts of wildland fire on home, life, and the economy.

NSF has now launched new webpages to help the research community connect our funding opportunities with the societal challenge the research they support can help address — something like a translational lens through which to view solicitations and Dear Colleague Letters.

We have focused on three such topics: Biotechnology to Advance the U.S. Bioeconomy, Emerging Infectious Diseases and Life on a Warming Planet. These pages also help identify the connections between programs in different directorates and cross-cutting efforts.

You can learn more about the topics and view funding opportunities from across NSF that support research on the pages, organized by directorate. 

As always, if you have a specific question about where your research might fit we encourage you to reach out to a program officer. If your research doesn’t fit under a program they manage, they can help you find the right program.

BIO Welcomes New Division Director in DEB

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Dr. Allen J. Moore

BIO is pleased to welcome Dr. Allen J. Moore as the new Division Director for the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB). Dr. Moore comes to NSF from the University of Georgia where he serves as a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Entomology and was Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

His research interests focus on the evolution and genetics of traits expressed in and influencing social interactions and the genetics, development and evolution of differences between the sexes within a species. This work integrates statistical, genetic, and behavioral approaches to studying various species of burying beetle (Nicrophorus spp.). Dr. Moore’s lab also collaborates on work involving the milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) and the white fly (Bemisia tabaci).

In his new role, Dr. Moore will lead DEB to advance our knowledge of evolution, ecology, systematics, and ecosystem science and in supporting the array of researchers working in those fields.

BIO wants to thank Dr. Leslie Rissler for stepping up as Acting Division Director for the past several months. Her work in ensuring a smooth transition is truly appreciated.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Moore.

Help us find the next BIO AD

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Dear BIO Community,  

As you may have heard, after 23 years at NSF, I will be retiring at the end of September 2022. It has been a pleasure to serve this community and the nation through multiple steads in the Directorate for Biological Sciences, and especially for the last four years as BIO’s Assistant Director.

I know that, given the staff and leadership in BIO, the community will be in very good hands and NSF will continue to support the cutting edge of biology and its connections to other areas of science and engineering.

That said, NSF has begun a search for the next Assistant Director for Biological Sciences. Director Panchanathan released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) requesting recommendations for the search committee to consider. Specifically, they are looking for outstanding leaders who have a deep record of scholarship and understand the issues facing the biological sciences, particularly in terms of support for fundamental research, innovation, broadening participation, and workforce development.

Recommendations should be sent via email to biosrch@nsf.gov by Friday, August 12, 2022. Further information on the review criteria, BIO, and the search committee can be found in the DCL.

Thank you for all you do to advance the biological sciences and to support the development of the next generation of biologists. The advances this community has made and the ones we will make are critical to addressing the most important challenges and making the best use of the grandest opportunities now and into the future.

Sincerely,
Joanne Tornow

NSF Convergence Accelerator Announces New Tracks with Potential for Biology

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The NSF Convergence Accelerator program addresses national-scale societal challenges through use-inspired convergence research. Using a convergence approach and innovation processes like human-centered design, user discovery, and team science and integration of multidisciplinary research, the program seeks to transition basic research and discovery into practice—to solve high-impact societal challenges aligned with specific research themes (tracks). The program recently released the tracks for the FY 2022 cohort, which hold significant potential for the biological sciences:

  • Track H: Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities: Serves as a platform to bring together researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from a wide range of disciplines and sectors to work on use-inspired solutions to enhance quality of life and employment access and opportunities for PWDs. 
  • Track I: Sustainable Materials for Global Challenges: Aims to converge advances in fundamental materials science with materials design and manufacturing methods in an effort to couple their end-use and full life-cycle considerations for environmentally- and economically-sustainable materials and products. 
  • Track J: Food & Nutrition Security: Accelerates convergence across food and nutrition sectors to address intertwined challenges in supporting population health, combating climate change, and addressing the nutritional needs of the most vulnerable by empowering youth, women, and disadvantaged communities.

For more information on the Convergence Accelerator and its phased model, and to read the full solicitation and broad agency announcement, please visit the Convergence Accelerator program page.

From The AD: Acknowledging the Service of Alan Tessier

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Dear BIO Community,

At the end of 2021, BIO said goodbye to our long-time colleague Alan Tessier as he began his retirement.

A headshot of Alan Tessier
Alan Tessier has retired after 17 years at NSF.

Over the last several years, Alan served as my right hand – and sometimes my left, too – in his role as Deputy Assistant Director for the Directorate. Around the halls of BIO, Alan was known for his nearly encyclopedic knowledge of NSF policy and procedures and forethought about how changes thereto might be interpreted and who they would impact. Personally, I found his openness to team building, community engagement, and sharing all that he knows as some of his greatest contributions.

Trained as an aquatic ecologist, Alan spent 17 years with NSF, beginning as a rotating program director in the Division of Environmental Biology, through a time as Deputy Division Director in the Division of Environmental Biology, and ending as Deputy Assistant Director for BIO.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Alan had a distinguished career in academia, including as a professor at Michigan State University.

Alan’s imprint on BIO and NSF cannot be captured in words, but key aspects of his work include efforts to advance convergence and environmental research. Alan served Executive Secretary and Chair of the Working Group for the Environmental Research and Education coordination activity and was critical in the development of what is now the Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (DISES) program.

As I noted, he was also a champion of strong teamwork between program officers and administrative staff, which has created a positive work environment in BIO and our ability to support the scientific community so well.

Engaging you all, the community, was also one of Alan’s foci. He promoted diverse connections with and support of the research community, including leading BIO’s transition to eliminating deadlines for the core programs and supporting community engagement with NEON as the facility came online to maximize its utility for cutting edge research.

As you can see, and I hope as you experienced, Alan did a lot over his time at NSF and made DEB, the BIO front office, the Directorate, and the whole agency better for it.

We thank Alan for his service, will miss him, and wish him well in retirement.

Sincerely,

Engaging Scientific Societies in Culture Change: New BIO-LEAPS Solicitation

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Building off a successful DCL issued last year, we are pleased to announce the new Leading Cultural Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) solicitation.

The program aims to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in biology at scale through culture change by leveraging the leadership, broad reach, and unique ability of professional societies. Professional societies are uniquely positioned to help facilitate culture change in their disciplines through: publishing journals, fostering scientific discussion and debate, broad membership (including membership from academia, government agencies, and private businesses), hosting large scientific meetings that can serve as networking and professional development opportunities for people at many professional levels, and electing leaders that greatly influence views and norms within a discipline.

As we recognize that disciplines and societies may be at different points in assessing and addressing their culture, the program has three tracks — Evaluation, Design and Plan, and Implementation. The Evaluation Track is for projects focused on assessment and research of the values, norms, priorities, and practices associated with the culture of the discipline or sub-discipline. The Design Track is for projects to develop an evidence-based plan to address broad-scale culture change within a discipline or sub-discipline. The Implementation Track is for projects to implement evidence-based cultural change strategies that leverage the influence of biological professional societies.

Proposals are due on July 1, 2022.

For further explanation of the tracks, complete submission requirements, and additional information, please see the BIO-LEAPS program page and solicitation 22-542. You can also contact the working group at BIO-LEAPS@nsf.gov.

Two webinars (March 21, 2022 from 2-3 EST and April 22, 2022 from 3-4 EST) are being planned to provide the community the opportunity to learn more about the program and ask questions of cognizant program officers. Please monitor the BIO-LEAPS program page for registration links.

Check out the new Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL) Solicitation

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NSF has just released a revision to the new Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks (URoL:EN) solicitation that builds on previous solicitations and awards under NSF’s Understanding the Rules of Life Big Idea. The solicitation (22-532) also supports BIO’s efforts to integrate within and across the biological sciences, as well as support interdisciplinary science.

The program supports research to understand “rules of emergence” for networks of living systems and their environments. These emergent networks are made up of the interactions among organismal, environmental, social, and human-engineered systems that are complex and often unexpected given the behaviors of these systems when observed in isolation. The often-unanticipated outcomes of these interactions can be both wide-ranging and enormously impactful.

URoL:EN projects will use convergent scientific approaches to explore these interactions and contribute to understanding rules of life through new theories and reliable predictions about the impact of specific environmental changes on behaviors of complex living systems, or engineerable interventions and technologies based on a rule of life to address associated outcomes for societal benefit.

Submissions must be made by March 1, 2022.

We encourage you to monitor the BIO homepage on NSF.gov and the URoL:EN program page for further information and opportunities to connect with the cognizant program officers.

New Funding Opportunity: Predicting future pandemics to protect our health, communities, and economy

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Predicting and preventing pandemics that have not yet happened is the focus of a new funding opportunity from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Researchers from a broad range of scientific disciplines — including those across the biological sciences — are invited to submit proposals to develop multidisciplinary research centers that can address the complex challenges involved in forecasting and avoiding future pandemic-scale outbreaks.

The Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention initiative, is aimed at better understanding the dynamic nature of pathogen and disease emergence, which poses a continuing risk to our national security, health, and economic stability. The solicitation builds on a series of interdisciplinary workshops held this past year, and provides support for planning activities that identify interdisciplinary grand challenges that can only be overcome through the integration of computational, biological, engineering, and social/behavioral approaches; propose novel conceptual research and technology developments aimed at overcoming those challenges; and formulate interdisciplinary teams to conduct that work.

Phase I proposals are due on Oct. 1, 2021. A solicitation for Phase II Center Grants is expected to be released in FY 2022.

An informational webinar will be held on July 13. Visit NSF Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention webinar for log-in information.

For additional information and the full proposal solicitation, visit Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention Phase I: Development Grants (PIPP Phase I).

If you have questions, please contact the cognizant Program Officers at PIPP@nsf.gov.