Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks (URoL:EN) Predicting Transformation of Living Systems in Evolving Environments

Funding Agency:

  • National Science Foundation
RFP# and Website: 
NSF 22-532
Description: 

The Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype "Big Idea" is based on developing a predictive understanding of how key properties of living systems emerge from interactions of factors such as genomes, phenotypes, and evolving environments. Ideally, the predictive capability of the Rules of Life explored by projects supported by the program will enable us to address some of the greatest challenges we currently face in understanding the living world. This Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks (URoL:EN) solicitation is a cross-directorate program of NSF that aims to develop a predictive understanding of how key properties of living systems emerge from interactions of factors such as genomes, phenotypes, and environments and how emerging networks of organismal, natural, social, and/or human-engineered systems respond to or influence evolving environments. Successful projects of the URoL:EN program are expected to use convergent approaches that explore emergent network properties of living systems across various levels of organizational scale and, ultimately, to contribute to understanding the rules of life through new theories and reliable predictions about the impact of specific environmental changes on behaviors of complex living systems, or engineerable interventions and technologies based on a rule of life to address associated outcomes for societal benefit. Projects that advance all of the different fields of science represented in the project and that represent different NSF Directorates are strongly encouraged.

Using such convergent approaches, proposals must:

  1. Identify a rule(s) of life around which the proposed research is oriented or to which the research is applied.
  2. Include a compelling convergent research plan with deep integration across disciplines.
  3. Involve a basic, or fundamental, research approach to investigate a new understanding of emergent networks of interactions between organisms and Earth, human, natural, and/or human-engineered systems in evolving environments.

The convergent scope of URoL:EN projects also provides unique STEM education and outreach possibilities to train the next generation of scientists in a diversity of approaches and to engage society more generally. Hence, the URoL:EN program encourages research projects that integrate training and outreach activities in their research plan, provide convergent training opportunities for researchers and students, develop novel teaching modules, and broaden participation of under-represented groups in science.

Awards: 

Standard Grant or Continuing Grant. The URoL:EN Program will support projects with a total budget of up to $3,000,000 and an award duration of up to 5 years.

Anticipated Funding Amount: 

$16,000,000

Letter of Intent: 
Not required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: 

March 01, 2022

Contacts: