The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
The Cellular and Biochemical Engineering (CBE) program supports fundamental engineering research that advances understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes, aiming at the development of enabling technology for advanced biomanufacturing. It targets the therapeutic cell, biochemical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. The program values research that provides a quantitative treatment of biological processes and encourages innovative and transformative engineering research for novel bioprocessing and biomanufacturing approaches. It promotes interdisciplinary integration and educational involvement, focusing on metabolic engineering, synthetic biology for biomanufacturing, quantitative systems biotechnology, microbiome structure and function, protein and enzyme engineering, and single cell and population dynamics in biomanufacturing contexts. Proposals should highlight the potential impact of the research on biomanufacturing processes and are encouraged to detail the novelty and transformative potential of their work. The program offers various types of grants, including support for early career development, conferences, workshops, and collaborations with industry, with a submission process for unsolicited proposals typically resulting in up to three-year awards.