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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Networks and Regulation (PD 11 8011)

What is the NSF "Networks and Regulation" funding opportunity (PD 11 8011)?

Networks and Regulation (Funding Opportunity Number PD 11 8011) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity that supports fundamental research in biological science focused on how living systems function as integrated networks. The program emphasizes emergent properties in cells, whole organisms, and microbial communities, meaning system-level behaviors that arise from many interacting parts rather than any single component.

What kinds of scientific questions is this program trying to support?

The program is looking for conceptually ambitious projects that explain how cells sense and respond to their environment and how external signals connect to internal genetic and metabolic programs that ultimately control physiology, development, or behavior. A central aim is to move toward quantitative and predictive theories of cellular function.

What does NSF mean here by "emergent properties"?

In this program context, emergent properties are behaviors or capabilities that cannot be explained by looking at one gene, molecule, or pathway in isolation. Instead, they arise from interactions among many components in networks, such as regulatory circuits, signaling pathways, metabolic systems, and community interactions in microbes.

What types of proposals does NSF say it prefers for this program?

The opportunity explicitly calls for creative, conceptually ambitious proposals that go beyond cataloging components. NSF signals strong interest in proposals that identify governing principles, network architectures, and measurable rules that enable prediction of system behavior under new conditions. Mechanistic depth matters, but so does generalizability and the ability to test predictions.

Is quantitative or predictive modeling required?

The program places a major priority on research that pushes the field toward quantitative and predictive theories of cellular function. In practice, it emphasizes projects that combine strong experimental work with modeling or theory, where experiments and models inform each other through iterative cycles.

What does "iterative cycles" between experiments and theory/modeling mean in this solicitation?

Based on the program description, "iterative cycles" means a project design where models or theory generate testable predictions, experiments evaluate those predictions, and results then refine the model or theory. The intent is a feedback loop that strengthens both the experimental and predictive components of the work.

Which research areas are specifically encouraged?

The solicitation highlights several areas as particularly encouraged:

• Signaling and metabolic networks, including mechanisms of signal transduction and the structure/dynamics of metabolic pathways and regulatory circuits.
• Minimal cell, synthetic biology, and origins of life, including identifying core network requirements for life-like behavior, engineering simplified or redesigned systems to test hypotheses, and studying how early living systems could have emerged from non-living chemistry.
• Environmental interactions and microbial communities, including microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions, community-level emergent behaviors, and how regulation scales from cells to populations or communities.

Would a project focused on signaling networks be a fit?

Yes. The solicitation explicitly encourages work on signaling and metabolic networks, including signal transduction mechanisms and regulatory circuit dynamics, particularly when the project aims to identify governing principles and supports predictive understanding.

Would synthetic biology or minimal-cell research be a fit?

Yes. The program explicitly encourages work on the minimal cell, synthetic biology, and origins-of-life topics, including projects that use simplified or redesigned biological systems to test hypotheses about network requirements and life-like behavior.

Does the program support research on microbial communities and environmental interactions?

Yes. Research on environmental interactions and microbial communities is emphasized, including how community-level behaviors emerge, how microbes respond to changing environments, and how cellular regulation scales to population or community function.

Are biomedical or disease-related proposals allowed?

No, not when the proposal is primarily motivated by relevance to human disease or health. The solicitation states that proposals framed mainly around human disease or health do not fit the program and will be returned without review, consistent with the NSF Grant Proposal Guide. The intent is basic, discovery-oriented biology and foundational theory-building rather than translational or health-outcome-centered research.

What happens if a proposal is primarily motivated by human disease relevance?

The solicitation indicates such proposals do not fit this program and will be returned without review. This reflects an explicit boundary condition in the program description.

What is the funding category and CFDA listing for this opportunity?

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" category, under CFDA 47.074 (Biological Sciences).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states that it does not require cost sharing or matching.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to different types of applicant organizations, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full program text.

How many awards does NSF expect to make, and what is the total estimated funding?

The opportunity anticipated around 70 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $14,000,000.

What are the key dates listed for this opportunity?

The notice states the opportunity was posted on November 22, 2010 and created on May 12, 2011. It lists prior full proposal deadlines of January 12, 2011 and July 12, 2011, and shows a current closing date of September 6, 2011.

Where are applications directed, based on the notice?

The notice indicates that applications are directed to NSF 11 545.

Who should applicants contact for access or technical issues?

For access or technical issues, the notice directs applicants to NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

What kind of overall project framing seems most aligned with this program?

Based on the description, the strongest alignment is with basic, discovery-driven research that treats biological function as network behavior, aims for mechanistic insight that generalizes, and produces quantitative, testable predictions about how systems will behave under new conditions.