Opportunity Information: Apply for 18 595
The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) funding opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program run through the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) that focuses on building the next generation of research infrastructure for basic biology. The program is aimed at projects that go beyond incremental improvements and instead propose genuinely new or significantly reworked capabilities that can change how biological research is done. In practical terms, the solicitation is looking for innovations in biological informatics (such as data resources, computational workflows, and methods for handling, integrating, or interpreting biological data), research instrumentation (new tools, platforms, sensors, or experimental systems), and the methods that make those tools and data systems more powerful and broadly usable. Multidisciplinary approaches are explicitly encouraged when they meaningfully serve these infrastructure goals and address recognized needs in foundational biological research.
A key theme of IIBR is infrastructure innovation rather than routine research projects. Competitive proposals are expected to do at least one of the following: create de novo infrastructure that does not currently exist, substantially redesign or modernize existing infrastructure so it becomes markedly more capable or accessible, or repurpose existing infrastructure in a novel way that opens up new biological questions or enables researchers to work at different scales, speeds, or levels of complexity. The emphasis is on pioneering approaches with clear potential to advance or even transform research supported by NSF BIO, meaning the work should plausibly benefit broad areas of biology and not only a narrow, single-lab use case. The infrastructure developed under this program should be positioned to enable or accelerate biological discovery by improving the ways researchers generate, manage, analyze, or interpret biological information, or by providing new experimental capabilities.
Administratively, this is a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered as a grant under NSF’s research and development portfolio (CFDA 47.074). Proposals are accepted at any time rather than being tied to a single annual deadline, which allows teams to submit when their plans and partnerships are ready. The listed award ceiling is $800,000, and the program anticipates making around 40 awards, indicating a substantial nationwide investment in infrastructure-related innovation across biological sciences. Eligibility is described broadly as “Others,” with additional details referenced in the solicitation’s eligibility section, so applicants typically need to confirm their specific organizational eligibility based on NSF’s stated rules for this program.
Overall, IIBR is best understood as an NSF BIO mechanism for funding ambitious, enabling infrastructure that can elevate the broader biological research community. Successful projects will usually articulate a clear unmet need in basic biology, explain why existing tools or systems fall short, and then present an innovative infrastructure solution with a credible development plan and a strong case for how it will expand capability, improve efficiency, increase access, or enable entirely new lines of biological inquiry.Apply for 18 595
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 01, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Proposals accepted anytime. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) - FAQs
What is the Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) program?
IIBR is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program within the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). It supports the development of next-generation research infrastructure for basic biology, with an emphasis on innovations that can meaningfully change how biological research is done.
What is the core focus of IIBR?
The core focus is infrastructure innovation, not routine research. The solicitation is looking for projects that go beyond incremental improvements and instead create genuinely new capabilities or significantly rework existing capabilities so they become markedly more powerful, accessible, or broadly usable for foundational biological research.
What kinds of projects does IIBR want to fund?
IIBR is interested in ambitious infrastructure efforts that can enable or accelerate biological discovery by improving how researchers generate, manage, analyze, or interpret biological information, or by providing new experimental capabilities.
What does NSF mean by "infrastructure innovation" in this program?
In this program, infrastructure innovation generally means building or rethinking the tools, systems, and methods that make biology research possible at scale. Competitive projects are expected to do at least one of the following: (1) create de novo infrastructure that does not currently exist, (2) substantially redesign or modernize existing infrastructure to make it far more capable or accessible, or (3) repurpose existing infrastructure in a novel way that opens new biological questions or enables work at different scales, speeds, or levels of complexity.
What areas of infrastructure are specifically called out in the solicitation?
The opportunity highlights innovations in biological informatics (including data resources, computational workflows, and methods for handling, integrating, or interpreting biological data), research instrumentation (such as new tools, platforms, sensors, or experimental systems), and the methods that make those tools and data systems more powerful and broadly usable.
Does IIBR support biological informatics work?
Yes. The solicitation explicitly mentions biological informatics, including work on data resources, computational workflows, and methods for handling, integrating, or interpreting biological data, as long as the effort represents infrastructure innovation rather than routine research.
Does IIBR support development of research instrumentation?
Yes. The program calls out research instrumentation, including the development of new tools, platforms, sensors, or experimental systems, particularly when they represent genuinely new or significantly reworked capabilities.
Are multidisciplinary projects encouraged?
Yes. Multidisciplinary approaches are explicitly encouraged when they meaningfully serve the infrastructure goals of the program and address recognized needs in foundational biological research.
How is this different from a typical biology research proposal?
IIBR is positioned as an infrastructure-focused mechanism. Rather than funding a standard research project aimed primarily at answering a specific biological question, the program emphasizes enabling capabilities: innovative infrastructure that helps many researchers generate, manage, analyze, or interpret biological data, or that provides new experimental tools and systems.
What makes a proposal competitive under IIBR?
Based on the solicitation description, competitive proposals typically (1) articulate a clear unmet need in basic biology, (2) explain why existing tools or systems fall short, (3) present an innovative infrastructure solution, (4) include a credible development plan, and (5) make a strong case that the result will expand capability, improve efficiency, increase access, or enable entirely new lines of biological inquiry across broad areas of biology (not just a narrow, single-lab use case).
Does the infrastructure need to benefit more than one lab or project?
The opportunity emphasizes broad potential impact across NSF BIO-supported research. The work should plausibly benefit broad areas of biology rather than serving only a narrow, single-lab use case.
What does "de novo infrastructure" mean in this context?
In the context of IIBR, de novo infrastructure refers to a brand-new infrastructure capability that does not currently exist, created to address an unmet need in foundational biological research.
Can existing infrastructure be modernized or repurposed instead of building something new?
Yes. The solicitation indicates that competitive projects may substantially redesign or modernize existing infrastructure to make it markedly more capable or accessible, or repurpose existing infrastructure in a novel way that opens up new biological questions or enables work at different scales, speeds, or levels of complexity.
Is there a fixed annual deadline for IIBR submissions?
No. Proposals are accepted at any time, rather than being tied to a single annual deadline, allowing teams to submit when their plans and partnerships are ready.
What is the maximum award amount for IIBR?
The listed award ceiling is $800,000.
How many awards does the program expect to make?
The program anticipates making around 40 awards.
What type of funding mechanism is IIBR?
IIBR is a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered as a grant under NSF's research and development portfolio.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 47.074.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional details referenced in the solicitation's eligibility section. Applicants are expected to confirm their specific organizational eligibility based on NSF's stated rules for this program.
What kinds of outcomes is NSF looking for from funded projects?
The program is aiming for enabling infrastructure that can elevate the broader biological research community by improving how biological information is generated, managed, analyzed, or interpreted, and/or by providing new experimental capabilities. The expectation is that funded infrastructure will be positioned to enable or accelerate biological discovery and potentially advance or transform research supported by NSF BIO.
Is the program focused on basic biology or applied/commercial outcomes?
The description frames IIBR as supporting research infrastructure for basic biology and foundational biological research, with the goal of enabling broader biological discovery within the NSF BIO research landscape.
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