Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 501
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 21-501; CFDA 47.074) designed to strengthen shared research infrastructure that enables modern biological science. Rather than funding individual research projects, the program supports efforts that build broadly useful tools, products, and services that help many researchers do better, faster, or more reproducible biology across any research area supported by NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). The core idea is to invest in infrastructure that creates downstream scientific impact through wide community use, not just through the work of a single lab or institution.
Capacity projects are intended to implement new infrastructure, scale up existing resources, or make major improvements to established tools and services. NSF specifically emphasizes infrastructure that is broadly applicable and openly accessible to a wide scientific and education community. Successful projects are expected to produce high-quality deliverables and enable important science outcomes achieved by the broader user community. A key expectation is that the resulting resource serves researchers beyond a single research team, meaning proposals should clearly demonstrate community demand, usability, and plans for access, adoption, and sustained value.
The program is organized around three main areas. First, Cyberinfrastructure includes software platforms, data resources, computational workflows, databases, and other digital systems that support biological research at scale, including capabilities that improve data sharing, integration, analysis, or reproducibility. Second, Biological Collections covers infrastructure that improves the use and value of biological specimens and associated data, such as digitization, data standards, collection management improvements, or coordinated services that make collections more discoverable and useful to researchers and educators. Third, Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories focuses on capacity-building at places that provide access to field-based and marine research environments, including upgrades or services that expand what visiting scientists and students can do and how broadly those facilities can support the community.
In addition to implementation and improvement awards, the program also accepts proposals for planning activities or workshops. These are meant to support coordination and community alignment that may be necessary before building or expanding infrastructure, such as developing shared roadmaps, governance approaches, community standards, partnerships, or strategies to meet common needs across a research community.
There are also clear boundaries on what the program does not support. Instrumentation proposals are not part of this program and should instead be submitted to NSF's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. Likewise, infrastructure that is primarily tailored to a single research project, a single laboratory, or a single institution is considered out of scope; those needs are expected to be addressed through the relevant BIO research programs that would typically fund that kind of work. In other words, Capacity is for community-serving infrastructure, not one-off project support.
From an administrative standpoint, proposals are accepted at any time (no fixed deadline listed). Awards can be as large as $1,200,000, and NSF anticipates making around 75 awards under this opportunity. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional clarification expected in the official eligibility text, so applicants should consult the solicitation details to confirm whether their organization type and project structure fit NSF requirements. Overall, this opportunity is best suited for teams that can demonstrate broad user demand, strong plans for open access and community benefit, and a clear pathway to delivering infrastructure that materially improves how contemporary biology is conducted.Apply for 21 501
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.074.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 02, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Proposals accepted anytime. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 75 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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NSF Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity) Program FAQs
1) What is the NSF Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity) Program?
The NSF Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity) Program is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 21-501; CFDA 47.074) that funds shared research infrastructure for modern biological science. It is designed to strengthen tools, products, and services that many researchers can use, rather than supporting a single research project.
2) What is the main purpose of this opportunity?
The main purpose is to invest in broadly useful, community-serving infrastructure that creates downstream scientific impact through wide use. The program focuses on infrastructure that helps researchers do better, faster, or more reproducible biology across research areas supported by NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO).
3) Does the program fund individual research projects?
No. The program is not intended to fund individual research projects. Instead, it supports infrastructure that enables and improves research for a broad user community.
4) What kinds of outcomes does NSF expect from Capacity awards?
NSF expects high-quality deliverables (tools, platforms, resources, services, or major improvements to existing ones) that enable important science outcomes achieved by the broader community of users. The emphasis is on community benefit and measurable usefulness beyond the proposing team.
5) What types of Capacity projects are supported?
Capacity projects are intended to implement new infrastructure, scale up existing resources, or make major improvements to established tools and services that support biological research across the BIO portfolio.
6) What does NSF mean by "shared research infrastructure" in this program?
In this context, shared research infrastructure refers to tools, products, and services that are broadly applicable and openly accessible to a wide scientific and education community, and that are intended for use by many researchers (not just a single lab, project, or institution).
7) What are the three main program areas supported by Capacity?
The program is organized around three main areas: Cyberinfrastructure; Biological Collections; and Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories.
8) What counts as Cyberinfrastructure under this program?
Cyberinfrastructure can include software platforms, data resources, computational workflows, databases, and other digital systems that support biological research at scale. Examples of supported capabilities include improvements to data sharing, data integration, analysis, and reproducibility.
9) What counts as Biological Collections infrastructure under this program?
Biological Collections activities may include infrastructure that improves the use and value of biological specimens and associated data, such as digitization, data standards, collection management improvements, or coordinated services that make collections more discoverable and useful to researchers and educators.
10) What counts as Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories capacity-building?
This area focuses on capacity-building at field stations and marine laboratories that provide access to field-based and marine research environments. Supported efforts can include upgrades or services that expand what visiting scientists and students can do, and broaden how those facilities support the wider community.
11) Are planning activities or workshops eligible for funding?
Yes. The program accepts proposals for planning activities or workshops intended to support coordination and community alignment before building or expanding infrastructure.
12) What are planning and workshop proposals expected to accomplish?
Planning activities and workshops are meant to support steps like developing shared roadmaps, governance approaches, community standards, partnerships, or strategies to meet common needs across a research community.
13) How important is open accessibility in Capacity proposals?
Open accessibility is a core emphasis. NSF specifically highlights infrastructure that is broadly applicable and openly accessible to a wide scientific and education community, with clear plans for access, adoption, and sustained value.
14) How does NSF evaluate whether a project serves the broader community?
Based on the program description, proposals should clearly demonstrate community demand and usability, and include credible plans for access and adoption. A key expectation is that the resulting resource serves researchers beyond a single research team.
15) What is considered out of scope for this program?
Out of scope items include instrumentation proposals and infrastructure primarily tailored to a single research project, a single laboratory, or a single institution.
16) Where should instrumentation proposals be submitted instead?
Instrumentation proposals are not part of this program and should be submitted to NSF's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program.
17) Can a proposal focused mainly on one lab or one institution be competitive?
The program description indicates that infrastructure primarily tailored to a single research project, lab, or institution is considered out of scope. Capacity is intended for community-serving infrastructure with broad downstream impact.
18) If we need support for a project-specific infrastructure need, where should we look?
The opportunity description indicates that project-, lab-, or institution-specific needs are expected to be addressed through the relevant BIO research programs that typically fund that kind of work.
19) Is there a fixed deadline for submitting proposals?
No fixed deadline is listed. Proposals are accepted at any time.
20) What is the maximum award size mentioned for this opportunity?
Awards can be as large as $1,200,000.
21) How many awards does NSF anticipate making?
NSF anticipates making around 75 awards under this opportunity.
22) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional clarification expected in the official eligibility text. Applicants are expected to consult the solicitation details to confirm whether their organization type and project structure meet NSF requirements.
23) What NSF directorate/research scope does this program align with?
The program is aligned with research areas supported by NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), and is intended to support infrastructure that benefits biological research across that scope.
24) What makes this opportunity a good fit for a team?
Based on the description, it is best suited for teams that can demonstrate broad user demand, strong plans for open access and community benefit, and a clear pathway to delivering infrastructure that materially improves how contemporary biology is conducted.
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