Program Description and FAQ's

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

This program primarily supports fundamental, transformative, and discovery research applied to biological systems. The research projects should:

• Develop novel ideas integrating engineering and life science principles in solving biomedical problems that serve humanity;
• Focus on high impact transforming methods and technologies and include models and tools for understanding and control of biological systems; fundamental improvements in deriving information from cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems; new approaches to the design of structures and materials for eventual medical use; new methods of understanding and controlling living systems, and new novel methods of reducing health care costs through new technologies;
• Emphasize the advancement of fundamental engineering knowledge, possibly leading to the development of new methods and technologies;
• Emphasize novel application of existing technologies to advance fundamental knowledge of both engineering and life sciences;
• Encourage initial evaluation of discovery-level  research in a clinical setting but not supporting clinical trials;
• Highlight multi-disciplinary nature, integrating engineering and the life sciences; and
• Balance theory, mathematical modeling, and experiment.

The long-term impact of the projects can be related to disease diagnosis and/or treatment, improved health care delivery, or product development.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• The duration of the unsolicited Biomedical Engineering (BME) awards is three years. The awards are $80,000-$100,000 per year including indirect costs. Please check the NSF Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems Division (CBET) web pages for the proposal submission window for the unsolicited BME program.

• The duration of BME CAREER awards is five years. The awards are $80,000 per year including indirect costs. The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year.

• Please refer to  the Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 04-23) http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg  when you prepare your proposal.  Chapter II (Proposal Preparation Instructions, Pages 17-38), especially, will assist you.

• The projects submitted to BME Program should advance both engineering and biomedical sciences.

• The funding requests for conference and workshop support can be submitted anytime after talking with the Program Director.

• The supplement requests for active awards can be submitted anytime after talking with the Program Director.

• After you submit the proposal, it takes us about 180 days to process your proposal (i.e. proposal reviews, panels, releasing reviews, funding decisions).

• Any proposal received outside the announced dates will be returned without review.  Please see http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501023&org=CBET .