This page highlights additional guidance you'll need to follow as you prepare a conference proposal or supplementary funding request for the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO).
Refer to NSF's Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) for complete proposal requirements.
Conference proposals
Support levels
Funding is at the discretion of each division, depending upon merit review of the proposed activities and the availability of funds.
Most conferences and workshops are supported for only one year at a time, although support for multiyear meetings may be considered in rare instances.
Proposal preparation
Proposals should be submitted six to 12 months in advance of the scheduled meeting and should follow the requirements outlined in the PAPPG.
Before submission, principal investigators (PIs) are strongly encouraged to contact a program director to discuss the scientific and educational goals, scope and budget of the meeting.
The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) has additional requirements for conference proposals.
The Division of Environmental Biology requires the submission of a prospectus, or concise pre-proposal, of no more than three pages before submitting a full conference or workshop proposal. Program officers will provide feedback on the prospectus, typically within two to three weeks.
The prospectus must include the following elements:
- Draft agenda summarizing the planned activities and answers to the following questions:
- How will the meeting foster the advancement of the field?
- If applicable, how will the meeting nurture interdisciplinary areas of biology, bring together scientists from different disciplines, and/or facilitate the development of multidisciplinary projects and collaborations?
- What products — papers, books, teaching materials, formation of research networks — will be produced as a result of the meeting and how will these be disseminated to the scientific community?
- What approaches will be used to encourage participation of early-career investigators, students and members of underrepresented groups? Methods for selecting participants should be transparent, well-described and appropriate. The meeting organizers and participants should be diverse in terms of institution type and geographic region.
- What are the proposed broader impacts?
- Draft budget.
- Budget justification.
Supplemental funding requests
Target deadlines
For optimal consideration, supplemental funding requests for the opportunities discussed on this page should be submitted through Research.gov by the target dates listed below. Requests submitted after the target dates will still be considered but only as budgets allow.
- Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI): February 1.
- Division of Environmental Biology (DEB): Third Tuesday in January.
- Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS): March 1.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) supplements
BIO encourages REU supplemental funding requests to support undergraduate students involved in new or ongoing NSF-funded research projects.
Some of the BIO divisions have specific funding ranges, which are noted below.
- DBI: Provides up to $6,000 per student per year.
- DEB: Recommends costs on the order of $7250 per student, although they have ranged from $7000-$9000 in the past depending on the proposed activities and availability of funds.
In addition to the requirements laid out in the REU funding opportunity, DBI, DEB and MCB, require additional items to be included in REU supplement requests.
- A detailed mentoring plan and a plan to measure the impact of the research experience on the student.
- A brief description of the PI's prior experience involving undergraduates in research. Results from the most recent REU supplement must be described as well, if applicable.
- The desired start date and duration of supplement.
- The expiration date of the parent award (the supplement must be expended by the time the award expires).
Funds to support REUs should be included in the original proposal. A limited number of post-award supplements may be available if such activities were unforeseen at the time of submission and the request broadens participation in STEM fields.
- A detailed mentoring plan and a plan to measure the impact of the research experience on the student.
- A brief description of the PI's prior experience involving undergraduates in research. Results from the most recent REU supplement must be described as well, if applicable.
- The desired start date and duration of supplement.
- The expiration date of the parent award (the supplement must be expended by the time the award expires).
Note: BIO divisions normally consider supplement requests to fund only one REU student per year, per award, but exceptions will be considered if well justified.
Additional funding may be available for requests involving exceptional circumstances. For more information, please contact the program directors for the program(s) of interest.
Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) supplements
BIO supports RET supplemental funding requests to encourage active participation by K-12 science teachers in ongoing NSF-funded research projects.
Before submission, PIs are strongly encouraged to contact their program director to discuss a potential RET supplement request.
RET funding requests should follow the guidelines in the PAPPG and the Dear Colleague Letter: Research Experience for Teachers (RET): Funding Opportunity in the Biological Sciences.
DEB and MCB have additional requirements for RET supplemental funding requests.
For DEB and MCB, the project description in the "Justification for Supplemental Funding" section must also include:
- A description explaining how the experience will lead to the transfer of new knowledge to classroom activities and how those activities help fulfill curriculum goals or teacher training stated by the relevant school system. PIs are encouraged to include a plan to broadly disseminate new teaching products.
- An explanation of the unforeseen circumstances that led to this request for funding as a post-award supplement rather than inclusion in the original proposal.
- The expiration date of the parent award. The supplement must be used up by the time the grant expires.
Note: Requests may include up to $1,000 for associated non-teacher costs — such as materials, equipment, software and other supplies for developing classroom instructions and experiments — in the appropriate budget categories of the NSF proposal budget.
DEB and MCB have additional requirements for RET supplemental funding requests.
Refer to the RET Dear Colleague Letter for more information.
Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) supplements
Each BIO division encourages RAHSS supplemental funding requests to increase student interest in studying the biological sciences and broaden the participation of high school students from underrepresented groups.
RAHSS supplemental funding requests should follow the guidelines in the PAPPG and the Dear Colleague Letter: Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS): Funding to Broaden Participation in the Biological Sciences.
DEB and MCB have additional requirements for RAHSS supplemental funding requests.
For DEB and MCB, the project description in the "Justification for Supplemental Funding" section must also include:
- A detailed mentoring plan and a plan to measure the impact of the research experience on the student(s)
- An explanation of the unforeseen circumstances that led to this request for funding as a post-award supplement rather than inclusion in the original proposal.
- The expiration date of the parent award. The supplement must be used up by the time the grant expires.
Research Opportunity Award (ROA) supplements
BIO encourages ROA funding requests to supplement ongoing NSF awards and enable faculty members at primarily undergraduate institutions to pursue research as visiting scientists with NSF-supported investigators at other institutions.
Requests should be submitted at least three months before the desired start of the proposed activity.
Requests should follow the guidance in the ROA solicitation.
Funding levels:
- DBI provides up to $25,000, including indirect costs.
DBI has additional guidelines for ROA supplemental funding requests.
For DBI, ROA supplemental funding requests should also include:
- A detailed description of the rationale and significance of the proposed research that explains how the work relates to the parent award.
- An ROA education and training plan that considers:
- The teaching and research goals for the professional development of the ROA faculty member.
- The anticipated impact of the ROA experience on the ROA faculty member's home institution.
- If applicable, a description of results from previous ROA supplement support
- The expiration date of the parent award. The supplement must be used up by the time the grant expires.
Before submission, PIs are strongly encouraged to contact the managing program director to determine if the proposed budget is within the appropriate funding range for the program and circumstances.
