A Science of Science Approach to Analyzing and Innovating the Biomedical Research Enterprise | 23 569

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 569

This grant opportunity, titled "A Science of Science Approach to Analyzing and Innovating the Biomedical Research Enterprise" (Funding Opportunity Number 23-569), is a joint effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund research that takes a rigorous, evidence-based look at how the U.S. biomedical research system works and how it might be improved. The central idea is to bring the tools, theories, and methods of the science of science policy community to questions about the biomedical research enterprise, including how research is produced, communicated, evaluated, supported, and translated into impact. Rather than funding biomedical experiments directly, the program is focused on studying the structures and dynamics that shape biomedical research outcomes and the workforce behind them.

On the NSF side, the effort is rooted in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate, which supports basic research about people, organizations, and society, including how social and institutional forces influence behavior and decision-making over the life course. Within SBE, the Science of Science Discovery, Communication and Impact (SoSDCI) program specifically supports research that strengthens the scientific foundation for science and innovation policy. On the NIH side, the participating institute is the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), which is known for supporting fundamental biomedical research that builds core knowledge about biological processes and helps enable future advances in diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. By partnering, SBE and NIGMS aim to build a shared portfolio of studies that can generate actionable insights about the biomedical research system while also advancing generalizable science-of-science knowledge.

A major goal of the solicitation is to encourage projects that can meaningfully analyze key features of the biomedical research enterprise and inform efforts to make it more diverse, innovative, productive, and efficient. That emphasis on the enterprise means proposals could examine topics such as how funding mechanisms influence research directions, how collaboration networks form and affect discovery, how peer review and evaluation practices shape scientific incentives, how scientific communication and dissemination affect uptake and reuse, and how training and career pathways influence who enters, stays, and advances in biomedical research. The program also signals a workforce priority: generating evidence that helps foster a strong and inclusive biomedical workforce and supports the development of future scientific leaders. The intent is not only to describe problems but to develop insights that can guide improvements in how research is organized and supported.

The opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant competition led by NSF, with a funding activity category of science and technology and other research and development. It lists CFDA numbers 47.075 and 93.859, reflecting the NSF and NIH partnership. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning proposals can come from any applicant type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full solicitation. The award ceiling is $250,000 per award, with an expected 8 awards. The opportunity was created on March 21, 2023, and the original closing date was September 11, 2023.

A practical feature of the solicitation is the strong encouragement for prospective applicants to talk with program officers before submitting. Because this is a coordinated NSF-NIH partnership, that early contact is meant to help investigators confirm that a proposed project fits the priorities and scope of both SBE/SoSDCI and NIGMS, and to reduce the risk of submitting work that is scientifically strong but misaligned with the partnership's goals. In effect, the program is designed to generate high-quality, policy-relevant, methodologically rigorous research that improves understanding of the biomedical research ecosystem and supports better decision-making about how the enterprise is funded, managed, and sustained.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "A Science of Science Approach to Analyzing and Innovating the Biomedical Research Enterprise" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075, 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 11, 2023. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for 23 569

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: