Opportunity Information: Apply for 14 503
Apply for 14 503
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Division of Environmental Biology" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074 Biological Sciences.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 18, 2014 and posted on Oct 28, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by This opportunity has been archived.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $72,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 14-503) is designed to support fundamental, discovery-driven research in environmental biology, with a focus on understanding how biological systems work and change across levels of organization. The program centers on core questions about populations, species, communities, and ecosystems, and it is intentionally broad in scope so that investigators can address ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes at any spatial scale (from genes to landscapes) and any temporal scale (from contemporary dynamics to deep evolutionary time). In practice, this means DEB is meant for projects that push basic scientific understanding forward rather than primarily emphasizing applied development, although many projects may still inform conservation, management, or policy-relevant issues as a secondary benefit.
The scientific areas highlighted by the opportunity span much of modern ecology and evolutionary biology. Topics explicitly included cover biodiversity and the processes that generate and maintain it; phylogenetic systematics and molecular evolution for studying evolutionary relationships and genomic change; life history evolution and natural selection for understanding how traits evolve and persist; ecology and biogeography for explaining species distributions and interactions; and ecosystem structure, function, and services for investigating how energy and materials move through ecosystems and what that means for ecological stability and human benefits. The announcement also emphasizes conservation biology, global change biology, and biogeochemical cycles, signaling interest in foundational research that clarifies how organisms and ecosystems respond to environmental change and how biological processes shape the cycling of key elements like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
A key feature of this funding opportunity is that it supports a wide range of research approaches, reflecting the diversity of methods used in environmental biology. Proposed work may be field-based (such as surveys, long-term monitoring, or manipulative experiments), laboratory-based (including controlled experiments or molecular analyses), or collection-based (drawing on museum specimens, herbaria, or other curated biological collections). The solicitation also welcomes observational studies, manipulative experiments, and synthesis efforts that integrate existing datasets or reconcile findings across studies. In addition, it explicitly supports theoretical and quantitative work, including analytical theory as well as statistical and computational modeling, which can be central for testing hypotheses, scaling up from local observations, or forecasting biological responses under different scenarios.
Administratively, the opportunity falls under the NSF’s Biological Sciences directorate, with the CFDA number 47.074 (Biological Sciences). It is a discretionary grant program, and it does not require cost sharing or matching funds, which reduces barriers for many applicants. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full program text (referenced as NSF Publication 14-503). The NSF anticipated a large portfolio of awards, with an estimated 200 awards supported and an estimated total funding level of about $72,000,000 associated with the opportunity.
The timeline in the source data reflects a two-stage submission structure commonly used by NSF programs: a required preliminary proposal deadline (listed as January 23, 2014 at 5 p.m. local time, and noted as occurring annually thereafter) followed by a full proposal deadline later in the year (listed as August 4, 2014, with annual deadlines thereafter). However, the listing also indicates the opportunity has been archived, with an archive date of December 18, 2014, meaning that specific announcement is no longer active as written and applicants would need to locate the current DEB solicitation or the relevant successor program announcement for up-to-date deadlines and requirements.
For assistance, the contact information provided points applicants to NSF’s Grants.gov support (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov) for technical access issues with the announcement. For the authoritative requirements, scope details, and submission rules, the listing directs applicants to the full announcement text via the Additional Information link referenced as NSF Publication 14-503.
FAQs: NSF Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Grant Opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 14-503)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 14-503) intended to support fundamental, discovery-driven research in environmental biology. The emphasis is on improving basic scientific understanding of how biological systems work and change across levels of organization.
What kinds of research does DEB aim to support?
The program is designed for research that advances foundational knowledge about populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. It is intentionally broad, allowing studies across any spatial scale (from genes to landscapes) and any temporal scale (from contemporary dynamics to deep evolutionary time).
Is this opportunity intended for applied research?
The focus is primarily on basic, discovery-driven science rather than projects that are mainly about applied development. That said, projects may still inform conservation, management, or policy-relevant issues as a secondary benefit.
What scientific topics are explicitly included in the scope?
The solicitation explicitly includes major areas of ecology and evolutionary biology, including biodiversity and the processes that generate and maintain it; phylogenetic systematics and molecular evolution; life history evolution and natural selection; ecology and biogeography; and ecosystem structure, function, and services.
Does the opportunity mention conservation biology and global change?
Yes. The announcement emphasizes conservation biology and global change biology, indicating interest in foundational research that clarifies how organisms and ecosystems respond to environmental change.
Are biogeochemical cycles part of the program interests?
Yes. The opportunity highlights biogeochemical cycles and foundational work that improves understanding of how biological processes shape the cycling of key elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
What research approaches are supported?
The opportunity supports a wide range of approaches, including field-based research (surveys, long-term monitoring, manipulative experiments), laboratory-based research (controlled experiments, molecular analyses), and collection-based research (using museum specimens, herbaria, or other curated biological collections).
Are observational studies and experiments both eligible?
Yes. The solicitation welcomes observational studies, manipulative experiments, and synthesis efforts that integrate existing datasets or reconcile findings across studies.
Does DEB support theory, statistics, and modeling work?
Yes. The program explicitly supports theoretical and quantitative work, including analytical theory and statistical or computational modeling, which may be used to test hypotheses, scale findings, or forecast biological responses under different scenarios.
Which NSF directorate and division run this opportunity?
It falls under NSF's Biological Sciences directorate, specifically the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB).
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number listed is 47.074 (Biological Sciences).
Is this a discretionary grant program?
Yes. The listing characterizes it as a discretionary grant program.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states that it does not require cost sharing or matching funds.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications provided in the full program text (NSF Publication 14-503).
How many awards and how much total funding were anticipated?
The opportunity estimated about 200 awards and an estimated total funding level of about $72,000,000.
What was the submission timeline described in the listing?
The listing describes a two-stage submission structure: a required preliminary proposal deadline (January 23, 2014 at 5 p.m. local time, noted as occurring annually thereafter) followed by a full proposal deadline later in the year (August 4, 2014, with annual deadlines thereafter).
Is this funding opportunity still active?
The listing indicates the opportunity has been archived, with an archive date of December 18, 2014. That means the specific announcement (as written) is no longer active, and applicants would need to find the current DEB solicitation or a successor program announcement for current deadlines and requirements.
Where can applicants find the authoritative rules and requirements?
The listing directs applicants to the full announcement text via the Additional Information link, referenced as NSF Publication 14-503. That full text is identified as the authoritative source for requirements, scope details, and submission rules.
Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the announcement?
For technical access issues with the announcement, the contact provided is NSF's Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
What is the main takeaway for applicants using this listing today?
Because the opportunity is archived, the key takeaway is that the listing is useful for understanding the intended scope and structure, but applicants should locate the current DEB solicitation or successor announcement for up-to-date deadlines, instructions, and eligibility details.
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