Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs (IOS) | 24 546

FAQs: NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Core Programs (Funding Opportunity Number 24-546)

1) What is the focus of the NSF IOS Core Programs opportunity?

This opportunity supports basic research aimed at explaining how and why organisms are built the way they are and how they function. The emphasis is on organism-focused biology, where the organism is treated as a fundamental unit of biological organization.

2) What does NSF mean by "organism-focused biology" in this program?

Organism-focused biology means proposals should generate insights into the structures, processes, and interactions that produce organismal form and function. The work should be grounded in organismal biology and aimed at generalizable understanding of how organisms operate, respond, and evolve.

3) Does NSF want descriptive studies under this opportunity?

The program signals interest in projects that go beyond description and deliver conceptual advances, theory, and predictive understanding, especially where systems-level thinking can reveal emergent properties that cannot be understood by studying parts in isolation.

4) What types of topics are explicitly included as a fit for IOS Core Programs?

IOS welcomes proposals across a broad set of core areas, including developmental biology and evolution of developmental processes; nervous system development, structure, function, modification, and evolution; biomechanics and functional morphology; physiological processes; symbioses and microbial interactions; organismal interactions with biotic and abiotic environments; plant and animal genomics; and animal behavior.

5) How broad is the scope of research that IOS will consider?

The framing is intentionally wide as long as the work is grounded in organismal biology and pushes toward generalizable understanding of organismal form and function, responses to environments, and evolution.

6) What is the IntBIO Track mentioned in the opportunity description?

The IntBIO Track is a highlighted component that emphasizes collaborative, integrative projects designed to tackle bold biological questions that cannot be solved within a single subdiscipline.

7) What makes an IntBIO Track project "integrative" according to NSF?

IntBIO submissions should combine methods, tools, and concepts across fields in a genuinely synergistic way, where integration changes what becomes possible scientifically rather than placing parallel efforts side by side.

8) Does NSF encourage projects that connect multiple biological scales?

Yes. NSF signals strong interest in research that links multiple scales of biological organization, such as connecting molecules to cells, cells to tissues, tissues to organisms, and organisms to populations, ecosystems, or Earth-scale processes.

9) What approaches or methods does NSF indicate may be used for these projects?

Projects may use experimental approaches, modeling, integrative or comparative analyses, and advanced computation, with the aim of stimulating new discoveries and contributing to broader theory in biology.

10) Who is eligible to submit proposals for this opportunity?

Eligibility is limited to specific U.S.-based organization types. Proposals may be submitted by U.S. institutions of higher education (including accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities, including community colleges) that have a U.S. campus and apply on behalf of their faculty. Proposals may also be submitted by U.S.-based non-profit, non-academic organizations directly tied to research or education, such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies.

11) Can non-profit, non-academic organizations apply?

Yes. Non-profit, non-academic organizations in the United States that are directly tied to research or education (for example, independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies) may submit proposals.

12) What special expectation applies to universities with international branch campuses?

If project funds would support work at an international branch campus (including through subawards or consultants), the proposal must clearly explain why conducting part of the work there benefits the project and why the same activities cannot be performed at the institution's U.S. campus.

13) What is the Funding Opportunity Number and title for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 24-546, and the title is "Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs (IOS)."

14) What type of grant is this listed as in the opportunity record?

It is listed as an NSF discretionary grant in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.

15) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity record?

The opportunity record lists CFDA 47.074.

16) What is the posting date shown in the opportunity record?

The posting date in the record is February 17, 2024.

17) Is there a single fixed deadline for submission based on the public listing?

The public listing shows an original closing date far in the future. This typically indicates an ongoing or recurring solicitation structure rather than a single one-time deadline.

18) What deadline should applicants rely on for planning submissions?

Applicants should rely on the official NSF solicitation and the current NSF deadline guidance for the specific IOS program or track they intend to target.

19) Does the provided record specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?

No. The provided data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards. Those details would need to be confirmed in the full solicitation and program guidance.

20) What kind of scientific outcomes does NSF appear to be prioritizing for this opportunity?

NSF appears to prioritize conceptual advances, theory, and predictive understanding in organismal biology, including systems-level insights and emergent properties that cannot be understood by studying parts in isolation, as well as integrative work that contributes to broader biological theory.