Core Research in Biological Sciences (BIO Core)

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences administers the Core Research in Biological Sciences program, known as BIO Core. The program supports foundational and interdisciplinary research that expands biological knowledge at any level of organization, from molecules and cells through organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes. BIO Core consolidates research areas previously covered by core programs in the Divisions of Environmental Biology, Integrative Organismal Systems, and Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. Its thematic areas include Foundations of Life, Living Systems, and Bioinnovation and Infrastructure. NSF seeks both incremental advances that build on prior scholarship and ambitious, potentially transformative investigations that challenge prevailing paradigms, develop new theories or methods, create research tools or datasets, or establish new lines of inquiry. BIO Core supports basic and foundational biological research conducted by single investigators, multiple investigators, small groups, or consortia. Projects may focus on one biological topic, span biological subdisciplines, or cross disciplinary boundaries into fields such as chemistry, engineering, physics, and computer science. NSF particularly encourages scientifically justified use of artificial intelligence, advanced computation, laboratory automation, high-performance computing, and related emerging capabilities when these approaches enable new biological questions, methods, or scales of research. Routine application of established methods, product or drug development, and later-stage deployment are outside the scope of the core opportunity. The anticipated program funding is 280000000, with approximately 250 to 300 standard or continuing grants expected, subject to the availability of funds. The solicitation does not establish an individual award minimum or maximum. Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited, and no special indirect cost or other budgetary limitations are stated. Eligible submitting organizations are accredited two-year and four-year institutions of higher education that have a campus in the United States and act on behalf of faculty members; U.S.-located nonprofit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations directly associated with educational or research activities; and federally recognized Tribal Nations. There are no restrictions or limits on who may serve as principal investigator, the number of proposals an organization may submit, or the number of proposals a PI or co-PI may submit. NSF encourages participation by institutions in jurisdictions eligible for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, including collaborations between EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR institutions that are led by an institution in an EPSCoR jurisdiction. Full proposals may be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must be prepared under the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide in effect on the proposal due date, unless the solicitation provides different instructions. Research.gov submissions follow PAPPG requirements, while Grants.gov submissions follow the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide. Collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must use Research.gov. Letters of intent and preliminary proposals are not required. For projects involving off-campus or off-site research, the Safe and Harassment-Free Fieldwork Plan is not submitted with the proposal, but the Authorized Organizational Representative must certify at submission that a plan exists. NSF will request a copy only if the proposal is recommended for an award. Proposals are evaluated under the National Science Board-approved Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria. Following an initial compliance check, proposals are reviewed by an NSF Program Officer and, in most cases, by three or more external experts through ad hoc review, panel review, or both; internal NSF review may also be used. BIO Core identifies potential measures of success including scholarly publications, establishment or expansion of datasets, creation of technologies or techniques, improvements in student educational outcomes, support for undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, and training students in critical areas. NSF emphasizes scientific rigor, transparency, reproducibility, research integrity, foundational importance, intellectually ambitious research, opportunities for exceptional early-career investigators, and scientifically meaningful uses of emerging technologies. BIO Core accepts proposals at any time, with no fixed full-proposal closing date. The opportunity is therefore treated as continuously accepting applications rather than as a recurring deadline-based competition. Awards are subject to available funds, and the solicitation does not provide a specific notification date or universal project performance period. Award notifications are made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Award recipients are generally required to submit annual project reports and a project outcomes report for the public. Questions concerning scientific fit may be directed to Foundations of Life at bio-fl@nsf.gov, Living Systems at bio-ls@nsf.gov, or Bioinnovation and Infrastructure at bio-bi@nsf.gov. Research.gov technical assistance is available at rgov@nsf.gov or 1-800-381-1532, and Grants.gov assistance is available at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726.

Emphasize foundational biological discovery and clearly demonstrate Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Show how the project advances fundamental understanding and, where applicable, challenges prevailing paradigms, develops new theories or methods, creates enabling tools or datasets, or opens new lines of inquiry. Demonstrate scientific rigor, transparency, reproducibility, and research integrity. If using AI, advanced computation, or laboratory automation, justify its scientific role rather than treating it as incidental. Avoid framing the core project around routine application of established methods, product or drug development, or later-stage deployment.