Opportunity Information: Apply for 12 506
Apply for 12 506
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis" 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 Feb 18, 2015 and posted on Oct 28, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 1, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,200,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 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 Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis (OPUS) grant opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program within the Directorate for Biological Sciences, specifically the Division of Environmental Biology. It is designed to fund projects that step back from years of related research and pull those results together into a coherent, integrated synthesis. The core idea is not to launch a brand-new line of fieldwork or experiments, but to consolidate and interpret an existing body of work in a way that produces new understanding, clearer conceptual frameworks, and broadly useful insights for the scientific community.
OPUS is explicitly encouraged across all four Environmental Biology clusters: Population and Community Ecology, Ecosystem Science, Evolutionary Processes and Systematics, and Biodiversity Inventories. Proposals can be built around the long-term research program of a single investigator or around a set of closely connected projects conducted by a team of investigators over an extended period. In either case, the emphasis is on integration: connecting results that may have been published or produced across multiple studies, reconciling patterns and inconsistencies, and translating accumulated findings into a synthesis that moves the field forward.
A notable feature of this opportunity is its career timing flexibility. While OPUS proposals are often a natural fit for mid- to late-career scientists who have accumulated a substantial research portfolio to integrate, NSF also notes that the award can be appropriate earlier in a career if the investigator is at a point where synthesis can produce a distinctive, unified perspective. That perspective should be valuable in two directions: it should generate an integrated contribution that benefits the broader community, and it should also help shape and strengthen the future trajectory of the investigator's work. When the relevant research has been carried out collaboratively, OPUS funds can support the collaboration needed to complete a joint synthesis, recognizing that team-based integration can require dedicated time and coordination to be done well.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. The funding opportunity number is NSF 12-506, and it is associated with CFDA 47.074 (Biological Sciences). The program anticipated making about 8 awards, with an estimated total funding level of $1,200,000. Individual awards were expected to fall within a relatively narrow range, with an award floor of $125,000 and an award ceiling of $150,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which means applicants are not required to commit non-federal funds as a condition of the award.
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant types, subject to any clarifications that might be included in the full solicitation text. The original full proposal deadline was August 1, 2012, with an annual deadline of August 1 in subsequent years during the period the opportunity was active. The posted date was October 28, 2011, the current closing date shown in the record was August 1, 2015, and the archive date was August 31, 2020. For complete details, NSF directed applicants to the formal solicitation document (NSF Publication 12-506). For access or technical issues with the electronic announcement, the listed support contact was grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the OPUS grant opportunity?
OPUS (Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity within the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology. It supports projects that synthesize and integrate results from an existing body of related research to produce new understanding and broadly useful insights for the scientific community.
What is the main purpose of an OPUS project?
The main purpose is to step back from years of related research and pull results together into a coherent, integrated synthesis. The emphasis is on consolidation, interpretation, and integration rather than initiating a brand-new line of fieldwork or experiments.
Does OPUS fund new fieldwork or new experiments?
The core idea of OPUS is not to launch a brand-new line of fieldwork or experiments. Instead, it focuses on synthesizing and interpreting an existing portfolio of related studies to develop clearer conceptual frameworks and new, integrated understanding.
Which NSF unit administers OPUS?
OPUS is an NSF program in the Directorate for Biological Sciences, specifically within the Division of Environmental Biology.
What research areas does OPUS encourage?
OPUS is explicitly encouraged across all four Environmental Biology clusters: Population and Community Ecology, Ecosystem Science, Evolutionary Processes and Systematics, and Biodiversity Inventories.
Can a proposal be based on the work of a single investigator?
Yes. A proposal can be built around the long-term research program of a single investigator, as long as the project is centered on integration and synthesis of an existing body of related work.
Can a team submit an OPUS proposal?
Yes. Proposals can also be built around a set of closely connected projects conducted by a team of investigators over an extended period, with the emphasis on integrating and reconciling results across those studies.
What does NSF mean by "integration" in OPUS?
Integration refers to connecting results that may have been published or produced across multiple studies, reconciling patterns and inconsistencies, and translating accumulated findings into a synthesis that moves the field forward.
Is OPUS only for mid- to late-career scientists?
No. While OPUS proposals are often a natural fit for mid- to late-career scientists with a substantial research portfolio to integrate, NSF notes the award can also be appropriate earlier in a career if the investigator is at a point where a synthesis can produce a distinctive, unified perspective.
What kinds of benefits should an OPUS synthesis provide?
The synthesis is expected to provide value in two directions: (1) an integrated contribution that benefits the broader scientific community, and (2) a contribution that helps shape and strengthen the future trajectory of the investigator's work.
If prior research was collaborative, can OPUS support the collaboration needed to write the synthesis?
Yes. When the relevant research has been carried out collaboratively, OPUS funds can support the collaboration needed to complete a joint synthesis, recognizing that team-based integration may require dedicated time and coordination.
What type of grant category is OPUS listed under?
OPUS is listed as a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.
What is the funding opportunity number for OPUS?
The funding opportunity number is NSF 12-506.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 47.074 (Biological Sciences).
How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
The program anticipated making about 8 awards.
What was the estimated total funding level?
The estimated total funding level was $1,200,000.
What were the expected minimum and maximum award amounts?
Individual awards were expected to fall within a relatively narrow range, with an award floor of $125,000 and an award ceiling of $150,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, so applicants are not required to commit non-federal funds as a condition of the award.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant types, subject to any clarifications that might be included in the full solicitation text.
What was the original full proposal deadline?
The original full proposal deadline was August 1, 2012.
Were there recurring deadlines after the original deadline?
Yes. The opportunity listed an annual deadline of August 1 in subsequent years during the period it was active.
When was this opportunity posted?
The posted date shown in the record was October 28, 2011.
What closing date is shown in the record?
The current closing date shown in the record was August 1, 2015.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date shown in the record was August 31, 2020.
Where should applicants look for complete details and official requirements?
NSF directed applicants to the formal solicitation document, NSF Publication 12-506, for complete details.
Who should be contacted for access or technical issues with the electronic announcement?
For access or technical issues with the electronic announcement, the listed support contact was grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
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