NSF Core Research in Biological Sciences (BIO Core) Funding Opportunity

Program Overview

The NSF Core Research in Biological Sciences (BIO Core) funding opportunity supports foundational and interdisciplinary research that expands our understanding of biology across every level of organization, from molecules and cells to organisms, populations, ecosystems, and entire biomes.

Administered by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Biological Sciences (NSF BIO), the program supports both established areas of biological research and emerging fields that can open new directions for scientific discovery.

NSF anticipates approximately $280 million in funding for BIO Core, subject to the availability of funds. The program supports both single- and multi-investigator awards and anticipates a portfolio encompassing different project sizes, durations, and research approaches.

What NSF BIO Core Is Designed to Support

BIO Core is fundamentally a research program. Proposals do not need to promise an immediate commercial product, deployment, or near-term technology outcome to be competitive.

Instead, NSF is looking for research that can advance biological knowledge, develop new theories or methods, create research tools and datasets, challenge existing scientific paradigms, or establish entirely new lines of inquiry.

This may include both incremental research that systematically builds on existing scholarship and higher-risk research capable of significantly changing how a biological problem is understood.

NSF also recognizes that important discoveries increasingly occur at the boundaries between disciplines. Interdisciplinary projects that establish meaningful connections between biological sciences and other scientific domains are therefore encouraged.

Three Major BIO Core Research Areas

The BIO Core opportunity broadly encompasses research within three thematic areas identified by NSF BIO.

Foundations of Life

This research area focuses on the fundamental mechanisms underlying living systems. Projects may explore natural or synthetic molecules, cellular and tissue systems, and the physiology of living organisms.

Research at this level can help establish the scientific foundation for future advances in biotechnology, synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, medicine, agriculture, and other biologically enabled technologies.

Living Systems

Living Systems research examines organisms and their relationships with one another and the environment.

Research may investigate how species evolve, how organisms interact, and how biological processes influence biodiversity and ecosystems across different spatial and temporal scales.

This area can encompass research from populations and biological communities through ecosystems and entire biomes.

Bioinnovation and Infrastructure

Bioinnovation and Infrastructure focuses on understanding the functional genomic complexity of life while developing the tools, technologies, data resources, and research infrastructure needed to advance biological discovery.

These capabilities can enable researchers to investigate biological systems in ways that were previously impractical or impossible and can provide foundational resources for future scientific and technological innovation.

Why Foundational Biological Research Matters

Many transformative technologies begin with discoveries that initially have no obvious commercial application. Understanding cellular behavior, genetic function, biological interactions, or ecosystem dynamics can eventually provide the scientific foundation for new technologies and industries.

NSF’s approach recognizes this relationship between fundamental discovery and long-term innovation. Investments in biological research can ultimately contribute to advances in biotechnology, agriculture, manufacturing, environmental systems, healthcare, energy, and other sectors.

For organizations working within the bioeconomy, foundational research can also help resolve scientific uncertainties that must be addressed before a technology can progress toward applied development and eventual scale-up.

Eligible Applicants

BIO Core proposals may only be submitted by specified categories of U.S. organizations.

Eligible applicants include:

• Accredited two- and four-year U.S. institutions of higher education, including community colleges, acting on behalf of faculty members
• U.S.-based nonprofit, non-academic organizations directly associated with educational or research activities
• Independent museums
• Observatories
• Research laboratories
• Professional societies and similar research or educational organizations
• Federally recognized Tribal Nations

Organizations considering an application should carefully review NSF’s institutional and proposal eligibility requirements before developing a submission.

Funding and Submission Details

• Funding Opportunity Number: NSF 26-517
• Anticipated Funding Amount: $280 million
• Proposal Structure: Single- and multi-investigator projects
• Cost Sharing: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited
• Full Proposal Deadline: Proposals accepted anytime

The absence of a fixed proposal deadline can provide research teams with additional flexibility to develop technically rigorous submissions rather than working toward a single annual competition date.

What Makes a Strong BIO Core Research Concept?

BIO Core places particular emphasis on the scientific importance of the research question and the potential of the proposed work to advance biological understanding.

Based on the program priorities, research teams should be prepared to clearly explain:

• The fundamental biological question being investigated
• Why that question matters scientifically
• How the proposed research advances existing knowledge
• The theories, methods, tools, or datasets that may result from the research
• How interdisciplinary approaches strengthen the investigation, when applicable
• What new scientific questions or research directions could emerge from the work

Importantly, applicants should not force a near-term commercialization narrative onto research whose principal value is scientific discovery. BIO Core explicitly recognizes the importance of foundational research that may precede commercial application by many years.

Relevance to Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy

The breadth of BIO Core makes the opportunity particularly relevant to researchers working at the scientific foundations of biotechnology and biologically based production systems.

Research into molecules, cells, tissues, physiology, genomics, biological systems, and enabling research technologies can ultimately inform areas such as:

• Industrial biotechnology
• Fermentation
• Synthetic biology
• Biomanufacturing
• Biochemicals and biomaterials
• Agricultural biotechnology
• Biological feedstock development
• Environmental biotechnology
• Biological carbon management

Not every BIO Core project will have an immediate industrial application. However, understanding where foundational science could eventually influence technology development can help research organizations make informed decisions about intellectual property, partnerships, follow-on funding, and future translational pathways.

How LEC Partners Supports Biological Innovation

The transition from biological discovery to practical implementation can introduce a different set of technical and commercial questions than those encountered during foundational research.

LEC Partners supports universities, technology developers, biotechnology companies, investors, and project teams as biological innovations progress toward applied development, commercialization, and scale-up.

Our capabilities include:

• Technology assessment
• Technical and commercial due diligence
• Fermentation and bioprocess evaluation
• Technology scale-up strategy
• Feedstock and supply chain analysis
• Market and competitive assessments
• Commercialization planning
• Feasibility studies
• Pilot and demonstration project planning
• Project development support

Through a network of more than 150 subject-matter experts, LEC Partners can help organizations evaluate the technical and commercial questions that emerge as promising biological research begins moving toward real-world implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NSF Core Research in Biological Sciences program?
BIO Core is an NSF funding opportunity supporting foundational and interdisciplinary biological research across levels of organization ranging from molecules and cells through organisms, populations, ecosystems, and biomes.

How much funding is anticipated for BIO Core?
NSF anticipates approximately $280 million for the program, subject to the availability of funds.

Does BIO Core only support research with a commercial application?
No. Proposals do not need to promise a near-term product, deployment, or commercial outcome. The program specifically supports foundational research that advances biological knowledge.

Can interdisciplinary biological research be proposed?
Yes. NSF encourages projects that create meaningful connections across scientific disciplines, particularly where those connections can enable new biological discoveries.

Is cost sharing required?
No. The inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited under this funding opportunity.

When are BIO Core proposals due?
Full proposals are accepted at any time rather than being limited to a single annual submission deadline.

Further Reading

LEC Insights

• Current Federal Funding Opportunities
• Technology Assessment Services
• Project Development & Operations

Additional Resources

• National Science Foundation
• NSF Funding Opportunities
• Grants.gov

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