Engineering (ENG): Chemical, Bioengineering, Energy, and Transport Systems (CBET)
NSF’s CBET program funds foundational research in chemical, bioengineering, energy, and transport systems, supporting innovative projects without requiring immediate commercial applications.
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling (Full proposals) | October 5, 2076 (Listed closing date)
Funding Amounts: $100 million total program funding; $500,000 award floor; requests up to five years encouraged
Summary: Supports foundational engineering research in chemical processes, biological and biomedical systems, resource engineering, and transport phenomena.
Key Information: Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible to submit proposals.
Description
The NSF Directorate for Engineering administers this opportunity for foundational research involving the transformation or transport of matter and energy by chemical, thermal, or mechanical means. It integrates physical, chemical, and biological sciences through four programs: Chemical Process Systems; Engineering Biological and Biomedical Systems; Energy, Water, and Resource Engineering; and Transport Phenomena. Research within one program and multidisciplinary work spanning multiple programs are welcome.
NSF particularly seeks intellectually ambitious, potentially transformative research, including incremental advances and bold, high-risk inquiries. Priorities include challenging prevailing paradigms, developing theories or methods, creating research tools or datasets, and connecting disciplines. Early-career investigators are especially welcomed. AI, advanced computation, and automation are encouraged when scientifically justified. Proposals do not need to promise near-term products, deployment, commercial outcomes, or later-stage development.
