Led by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), URoL goals are to better understand the “rules” of how life functions; to develop research tools and infrastructure to advance this field; to train the next generation of researchers; and to foster convergent research across NSF. Researchers who have not previously engaged on URoL are encouraged to participate.
The URoL: Epigenetics program is intended to support and promote multidisciplinary research, education, and workforce training in the field of epigenetics. The solicitation calls on proposals to use “complementary, interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how epigenetic phenomena lead to emergent properties that explain the fundamental behavior of living systems,” explaining that successful projects should “identify general principles (“rules”) that underlie a wide spectrum of biological phenomena across size, complexity (e.g., molecular, cellular, organismal, population) and temporal scales (from sub-second to geologic) in taxa from anywhere within the tree of life.” Furthermore, these projects must integrate multiple research perspectives, approaches, and disciplines: examples listed include “biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, social and behavioral sciences.”
Through this solicitation, NSF seeks to explore the impact of epigenetic inheritance and the broader consequences of this biological phenomenon across living systems (e.g., populations, communities, and ecosystems). NSF is focused on “understanding the relationship between epigenetic mechanisms associated with environmental change, the resultant phenotypes of organisms, and how these mechanisms lead to robustness and adaptability of organisms and populations.”
Deadline: February 1, 2019
Total Funding and Award Size: NSF anticipates between approximately $15 million and $18 million in available funding to support six to 12 new awards. There are 2 submission tracks: Track 1 up to $500,000 over three years and Track 2 up to $3 million over five years. An individual may appear as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on only one proposal per annual cycle submitted in response to either submission track in this solicitation.
Program URL: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18600/nsf18600.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click
Filed Under: Funding Opportunities