We’d like to call your attention to a new Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 24-054) supported by a collaboration between the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Government of India. This DCL encourages proposals that form collaborations between U.S. and Indian research communities.  

Specifically, proposals submitted through this DCL address complex scientific challenges through innovative solutions that leverage advances in synthetic and engineering biology, systems and computational biology, and other associated fields that are foundational to developing future biomanufacturing solutions and advancing the bioeconomy. For example, the development of innovative tools, technologies, and resources for genome engineering, and genome manipulation of plants and other organisms of relevance in synthetic and engineering biology, and predictive models of cells and subcellular systems that support mechanistic understanding and engineering design (see the DCL for additional examples). 

Through this partnership, researchers in the U.S. will receive funding from NSF and researchers in India will receive funding from DBT.  

Proposals should be submitted to the appropriate program at NSF and will be reviewed alongside proposals to NSF Core Program solicitations, using NSF’s merit review process.  

Participating Programs 
Programs participating in this opportunity are (highlighted in blue): 

• Directorate for Biological Sciences 
  • Division of Integrative Organismal Systems 
    • Plant Genome Research Program 
  • Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences 
    • Systems and Synthetic Biology 
    • Molecular Biophysics 
• Directorate for Engineering 
  • Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems 
    • Cellular and Biochemical Engineering 
    • Biosensing 
• Cross-Directorate 
  • Future Manufacturing: Future Biomanufacturing Research Thrust 

DBT investigators will submit their full proposal through DBT eProMIS: https://dbtepromis.nic.in, as per DBT guidelines (https://dbtindia.gov.in/) 

Deadline Information 
There is only one round of proposal submissions for this DCL. Proposals submitted to an NSF program that does not have a submission deadline must be submitted by April 11, 2024. Proposals submitted to any other participating NSF program must be submitted on or before April 11, 2024 following the program due dates for calendar year 2024. 

More Information 
Read the full DCL (NSF 24-044) HERE. 

Questions about this DCL may be directed to india-collaboration@nsf.gov. Within IOS, please direct your questions to Dr. Pankaj Jaiswal (pjaiswal@nsf.gov)