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

Due Dates: February 9, 2025 | September 9, 2025 | February 9, 2026 (Annually Thereafter)

Funding Amounts: Typical awards: $100,000–$250,000 per year for up to 4 years; estimated 4–8 awards/year; total program funding up to $2M/year.

Summary: Supports research to analyze and innovate the biomedical research enterprise using science of science policy approaches, with a focus on workforce diversity, productivity, and efficiency.

Key Information: Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact program officers before submission to discuss project relevance.

Description

This opportunity, jointly offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports research that advances the scientific understanding of the biomedical research enterprise. The program seeks proposals that leverage science of science policy research to analyze, model, and innovate aspects of the biomedical research system, including workforce development, diversity, productivity, and efficiency.

The initiative is a partnership between NSF’s Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate and NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). It aims to fund high-quality, interdisciplinary research that informs science and innovation policy, develops new analytical tools and metrics, and fosters a diverse and effective scientific workforce.

Due Dates

February 9, 2025 (Full Proposal Target Date)
September 9, 2025 (Full Proposal Target Date)
February 9, 2026 (Full Proposal Target Date; continues annually)
Proposals are accepted annually on these dates.

Funding Amount

Award Size: $100,000–$250,000 (total costs) per year
Duration: Up to 4 years
Estimated Number of Awards: 4–8 per year
Total Program Funding: Up to $2,000,000 per year (joint NSF and NIH support)
No cost sharing required.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants: U.S. institutions and organizations eligible under the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (e.g., universities, colleges, non-profits, for-profits, state/local governments, tribal governments).
Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible.
No restrictions on who may serve as PI or co-PI.
No limits on the number of proposals per organization or per PI/co-PI.

Application Process

Submission Platforms: Research.gov or Grants.gov
Letters of Intent: Not required
Preliminary Proposals: Not required
Full Proposals: Must follow the NSF PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide
Proposal Title: Should begin with “SoS:BIO:”
Project Description: Must include separate sections for “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impacts” (max 15 pages)
Letters of Collaboration: Required if applicable (see solicitation for format)
Human Subjects/Vertebrate Animals: Must comply with both NSF and NIH requirements if applicable

Strongly encouraged: Contact program officers before submission to discuss project fit and priorities.

Additional Information

Review Criteria: Proposals are evaluated using both NSF and NIH review criteria, including intellectual merit, broader impacts, significance, investigator qualifications, innovation, approach, and environment.
Award Administration: Awards may be made by either NSF or NIH, with subsequent administration following the policies of the awarding agency.
Broadening Participation: The program encourages proposals that broaden participation of underrepresented groups and institutions in STEM.
No cost sharing is permitted.
Standard NSF and NIH reporting and compliance requirements apply.

External Links

Contact Information

Name	Role/Agency	Email	Phone
Mary Feeney	Program Director, NSF/SBE	mfeeney@nsf.gov	703-292-7197
Thomas S. Woodson	Program Director, NSF/SBE	tswoodso@nsf.gov	703-292-8760
Kenneth Gibbs	Program Director, NIH/NIGMS	kenneth.gibbs@nih.gov	N/A
NSF Help Desk	Technical Support	rgov@nsf.gov	1-800-673-6188
Grants.gov Support	Technical Support	support@grants.gov	1-800-518-4726

For general NSF inquiries: NSF Contact Page