Research Resources Cluster

The Research Resources Cluster includes both the innovation and capacity-building investments in the tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. These programs focus on research infrastructure that is applicable to a broad class of biological research questions or topics and that meet the needs of a well-defined community of researchers. 

In particular, the Innovation Program invests in research tools and methods at the innovation stage, where novel resources are conceived and designed in the areas of bioinformatics, instrumentation, or research methods (e.g., lab- or field-based). The Capacity Program invests in resources that are scaled to be made available to many users in the areas of cyberinfrastructure, biological collections, or biological field stations. The Sustaining Program provides support for critical biology resources and promotes a transition to reduce reliance on direct federal support.  The NSF-wide Major Research Instrumentation Program is also managed in the Research Resources Cluster.