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NSF-Simons Collaboration on a National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB)

Status: Not accepting proposals

Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Supports the establishment of an institute to facilitate research, education and training between mathematicians and biologists, with a goal of developing new mathematical methodologies inspired by biological problems.

Supports the establishment of an institute to facilitate research, education and training between mathematicians and biologists, with a goal of developing new mathematical methodologies inspired by biological problems.

Synopsis

The purpose of the NSF-Simons Collaboration on a National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) is to support a research institute to enable innovative research at the intersection of mathematical and biological sciences to facilitate new developments of biology-inspired mathematical theories, methodologies, and innovative modeling approaches to advance the understanding of challenging biological problems. The institute should promote interdisciplinary education and workforce training between these two disciplines.  The National Science Foundation Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF/MPS) and for Biological Sciences (NSF/BIO) and the Simons Foundation Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (SF/MPS) shall jointly sponsor a new research institute to facilitate collaborations among groups of mathematicians (including statisticians and computational scientists) and biologists. Research activities conducted at the institute should be focused on emerging and important topics at the interface of the mathematical and biological sciences, with the expectation to develop new mathematical methodologies inspired by biological problems. The institute should primarily focus on advances in theory and mathematics that are motivated by and applicable to the analysis of complex biological systems. The institute will conduct interdisciplinary education and training through research involvement of doctoral degree recipients and graduate students from across this multi-disciplinary spectrum. The institute is also expected to conduct convening activities, including short-term and/or long-term visitor programs, workshops, and/or outreach activities. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are expected to be core values of the institute and should be reflected in its research, education, outreach programs, and its leadership. The institute will serve as a national resource that aims to advance research in the mathematical and biological sciences through programs supporting discovery and knowledge dissemination in mathematical biology and enhancing connections to related fields.

Program contacts

Important Note: For timely responses to your questions, please direct your email messages to the Program Directors on the NSF-Simons NITMB Working Group at NITMB@nsf.gov

Name Email Phone Organization
Zhilan J. Feng
NITMB@nsf.gov (703) 292-7523 MPS/DMS
Jaroslaw Majewski
NITMB@nsf.gov (703) 292-7278 BIO/MCB
Sridhar Raghavachari
NITMB@nsf.gov (703) 292-4845 BIO/DBI
Samuel M. Scheiner
NITMB@nsf.gov (703) 292-7175 BIO/DEB
Junping Wang
NITMB@nsf.gov (703) 292-4488 MPS/DMS

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