Closed · 24-505 · CFDA 47.041;47.074;47.075 · Discretionary
Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution
Federal grant opportunity posted by U.S. National Science Foundation, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- $500K-$2M
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- -
- Close date
- 7
- Expected awards
The verdict
Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution is a closed discretionary listing from U.S. National Science Foundation that offered $500,000 -- $2,000,000 across 7 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.
- $500K-$2M
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 7
- expected awards
- 47.041;47.074;47.075
- CFDA program
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution - is cataloged under number 24-505 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 47.041;47.074;47.075, posted by U.S. National Science Foundation. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on November 3, 2023 and last updated on January 8, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is $500,000 -- $2,000,000. The agency has projected $6.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 7 awards. If the agency funds the expected 7 awards from the $6.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $857,000. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity is closed. Monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements in the next funding cycle. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.
Award Range
$500,000 -- $2,000,000
Close Date
Not specified
Opportunity is Archived
Posted
November 3, 2023
Est. Total Funding
$6,000,000
Expected Awards
7
Instrument
Grant
Description
Because of recent technological advances in synthetic biology and bioengineering, researchers are now able to tailor cells and cell-like systems for a variety of basic and applied research purposes. The goal of this solicitation is to support research that (1) develops cell-like systems to identify the minimal requirements for the processes of life, (2) designs synthetically-modified cells to address fundamental questions in the evolution of life or to explore biological diversity beyond that which currently exists in nature, and (3) leverages basic research in cell design to build novel synthetic cell-like systems and cells for innovative biotechnology applications. Highest funding priority is given to proposals that have outstanding intellectual merit and broader impacts, while proposals with weaknesses in either category (or those that are perceived as likely to have an incremental impact) will not be competitive. Proposals submitted to this solicitation should address social, ethical, and safety issues associated with designing and building synthetically modified cells as an integrated component of the project.
Eligibility
Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
NSF grants.gov support grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
Key Dates
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| Sources | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |