Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering

The Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE) program supports fundamental engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes in engineering biology and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced manufacturing and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  A quantitative treatment of biological and engineering problems of biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the BBE program. 

Fundamental to many research projects in this area is the understanding of how biomolecules, cells and cell populations interact in their environment, and how those molecular level interactions lead to changes in structure, function, phenotype, and/or behavior.  The program encourages highly innovative and potentially transformative engineering research leading to novel bioprocessing and manufacturing approaches, and proposals that address emerging research areas and technologies that effectively integrate knowledge and practices from different disciplines while incorporating ongoing research into educational activities.

Major areas of interest in the program include:

• Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for biomanufacturing
• Quantitative systems biotechnology
• Tissue engineering and stem cell culture technologies
• Protein engineering & design
• Single cell dynamics and modeling
• Development of novel "omics" tools for biotechnology applications

NOTE: For proposals involving any aspect of sustainable chemistry and engineering, including but not limited to biochemistry or physical chemistry, consider making proposal submissions to this program (1491) with the Proposal Title as:  ‘SusChEM: Title of Your Proposal'.  For more information on SusChEM-related proposals click here.

The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years. The typical award size for the program is around $100,000 per year with allowance for up to $200,000 per year for collaborative projects or those involving multiple investigators.  Proposals requesting a substantially higher amount than this, without prior consultation with the Program Director, may be returned without review.

INFORMATION COMMON TO MOST CBET PROGRAMS

Proposals should address the novelty and/or potentially transformative nature of the proposed work compared to previous work in the field.  Also, it is important to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, as well as to also project the potential impact on society and/or industry of success in the research.  The novelty or potentially transformative nature of the research should be included, as a minimum, in the Project Summary of each proposal.

Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program proposals are strongly encouraged.  Award duration is five years.  The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year. Please see the CAREER URL here for more information. 

Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements: PIs are strongly encouraged to discuss their requests with the Program Director before submission of the proposal.

Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) are also considered when appropriate.  Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the program director before submission.  Further details are available in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) download found here.  Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) proposals that integrate fundamental research with translational results and are consistent with the application areas of interest to each program are also encouraged.  Please note that GOALI proposals must be submitted during the annual unsolicited proposal window for each program. More information on GOALI can be found here.

COMPLIANCE: Proposals which are not compliant with the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) will be returned without review.

Unsolicited proposals received outside of the Announced Proposal Window dates will be returned without review.