Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Investigator initiated research projects | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) grant opportunity, titled "Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Investigator initiated research projects" (Funding Opportunity Number 13-510), supports fundamental, investigator-driven research aimed at explaining how living systems work at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular scales. The program emphasis is strongly quantitative and predictive, with a clear preference for research that is theory-driven or that tightly connects modeling and computation with experiments. In practical terms, MCB is looking for projects that do more than describe biological phenomena; it prioritizes work that can generate testable hypotheses, produce mechanistic understanding, and move toward predictive frameworks for complex biological behavior.

MCB invites hypothesis-driven and discovery-oriented proposals across four main research clusters: Molecular Biophysics; Cellular Dynamics and Function; Genetic Mechanisms; and Systems and Synthetic Biology. While projects can differ widely in topic, the common thread is a focus on core biological principles and mechanisms rather than applied biomedical outcomes. The solicitation explicitly states that proposals motivated by human health relevance, or that focus on the molecular basis of human disease and treatment, are not appropriate for this division and will be returned without review. Applicants therefore need to frame their work as basic biological research, even if the underlying knowledge could eventually be broadly useful.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its strong encouragement of interdisciplinary approaches. MCB gives high priority to proposals that leverage theory, methods, and technologies from the physical sciences, mathematics, computational sciences, and engineering to address major biological questions. The program supports a wide range of research strategies, including in vivo, in vitro, and in silico approaches, and it is open to work using both model and non-model organisms, with particular mention of microbes and plants. Competitive projects typically integrate experimental work with quantitative analysis and/or predictive modeling, reflecting the division's interest in research that can connect data to underlying mechanisms and generalizable principles.

The solicitation highlights several emerging and especially welcome directions. These include multiscale integration (linking processes across molecular, cellular, and higher levels), molecular and cellular evolution, and quantitative prediction of phenotype (phenome) from genomic information. It also encourages the development of methods and resources when those efforts clearly advance fundamental understanding or enable new types of quantitative, mechanistic inquiry. As with NSF programs broadly, proposals are judged with emphasis on two core review criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts, and the announcement indicates that the highest funding priority goes to projects that are exceptional on both dimensions.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant program within the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" category, associated with CFDA 47.074 (Biological Sciences). The opportunity listed an estimated total funding level of $85,000,000 and noted an award floor of $800,000, with no cost sharing or matching requirement. Proposal deadlines were set for January 30, 2013 and November 15, 2013, with November 15 as an annual deadline thereafter, and the announcement specifies that all research proposals, including RUI (Research in Undergraduate Institutions) and RCN (Research Coordination Networks) proposals, would be accepted on or before those deadlines.

Eligibility is geared toward U.S.-based institutions engaged in education or research. Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. universities and colleges (including two-year and four-year institutions such as community colleges) submitting on behalf of faculty, as well as certain U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations associated with educational or research activities. The funding instrument is a grant, and the sponsoring agency is the National Science Foundation. For official guidance and full requirements, the solicitation points applicants to NSF Publication 13-510 and provides grants.gov support contact information for access and submission issues.

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