Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 560
Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks (URoLEN) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant opportunity created under NSF's broader set of "Big Ideas," long-term priorities meant to push the frontiers of science and engineering through convergence research. Although proposals are submitted through NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Emerging Frontiers (BIO/EF), the program is intentionally cross-disciplinary in how it is reviewed and managed, with a team of NSF program directors spanning multiple fields. The central motivation is to move beyond studying biological components in isolation and instead build a predictive science of how living systems behave when they are embedded in complex webs of interaction with other organisms, environments, and human systems.
URoLEN extends NSF's "Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype" Big Idea, which focuses on how properties of living systems arise from the interplay of genomes, phenotypes, and changing environments. Earlier NSF efforts under this umbrella have targeted things like "minimal rules" (for example, principles needed to build a synthetic cell), "rules of complexity" (such as epigenetic regulation), and "rules of interaction" (including microbiome dynamics). URoLEN adds another layer by aiming at the "rules of emergence" that govern networks, meaning the system-level behaviors that arise when many interacting parts create outcomes that are nonlinear, surprising, and not straightforwardly inferable from studying the parts alone.
The program emphasizes "emergent networks" as networks of living systems that are tightly coupled with natural environments, built infrastructure, and social systems, including human-engineered components. In these networks, outcomes are shaped not only by chemistry, physics, and biology at the level of molecules, cells, organisms, and populations, but also by communication and information flow across the network. A key point is that these coupled networks can produce wide-ranging and high-impact consequences, and that prediction is increasingly difficult as environments shift faster and extreme or rare events become more frequent. URoLEN is framed around a major unsolved problem: identifying and explaining the emergent properties of these networks, especially those that appear only when multiple systems interact and that do not exist when each system is considered separately.
The solicitation illustrates the idea with the example of chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), a nonnative pathogen introduced through nursery stock that essentially removed the American chestnut from North American forests. That single introduction triggered cascading effects across ecological networks (species interactions, forest structure), abiotic conditions, and social and economic systems, ranging from local community impacts to broader consequences for timber markets. This kind of case captures what URoLEN is after: understanding, modeling, and ultimately anticipating the ripple effects and feedback loops that occur when biological change intersects with environmental and human systems across scales.
Competitive URoLEN projects are expected to use convergent approaches, bringing together multiple disciplines, methods, and levels of organization to uncover generalizable principles and to improve predictive capability. The intended outcomes include new theory and more reliable predictions about how specific environmental changes will alter the behavior of complex living systems. In addition to prediction, the program also welcomes work aimed at "engineerable" interventions and technologies, meaning actionable strategies or tools grounded in discovered rules of life that can help address real-world consequences and deliver societal benefits.
URoLEN also places noticeable value on education, training, and outreach as integrated parts of a research plan. Because the work requires teams that can operate across disciplinary boundaries, the program encourages projects that create convergent training opportunities for researchers and students, develop new teaching modules, and broaden participation for groups historically underrepresented in science. The expectation is that the same cross-cutting nature that makes this research hard also creates an opportunity to prepare a workforce fluent in integrating biology with computation, engineering, environmental science, and social dimensions where relevant.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 21-560) in the science and technology research and development category, with CFDA listings spanning multiple NSF accounts (including 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083). The opportunity anticipated around 10 awards. Projects could be supported for up to five years, with budgets described as up to $3,000,000. The solicitation was originally posted February 9, 2021, with an original closing date of May 10, 2021. Eligibility is listed broadly as "others," with applicants directed to consult the solicitation's eligibility section for specifics.Apply for 21 560
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 09, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 10, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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URoLEN (Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks) - FAQ
1) What is the URoLEN funding opportunity?
Understanding the Rules of Life: Emergent Networks (URoLEN) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant opportunity focused on building a predictive science of how living systems behave when embedded in complex webs of interaction with other organisms, environments, and human systems.
2) Which NSF organization is associated with proposal submission?
Proposals are submitted through NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Emerging Frontiers (BIO/EF).
3) Is URoLEN limited to biology, or is it cross-disciplinary?
URoLEN is intentionally cross-disciplinary. While it sits within BIO/EF for submission, it is reviewed and managed in a cross-disciplinary way by a team of NSF program directors spanning multiple fields.
4) What larger NSF initiative is URoLEN part of?
URoLEN was created under NSF's broader set of "Big Ideas," which are long-term priorities designed to push the frontiers of science and engineering through convergence research.
5) How does URoLEN relate to "Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype"?
URoLEN extends NSF's "Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype" Big Idea. That Big Idea emphasizes how properties of living systems arise from interactions among genomes, phenotypes, and changing environments. URoLEN adds a focus on emergent network behavior and system-level outcomes that arise from interactions across multiple systems.
6) What does URoLEN mean by "emergent networks"?
In URoLEN, "emergent networks" are networks of living systems that are tightly coupled with natural environments, built infrastructure, and social systems, including human-engineered components. These networks are influenced by chemistry, physics, and biology across levels (molecules to populations) and also by communication and information flow across the network.
7) What kind of scientific problem is URoLEN trying to address?
URoLEN is framed around a major unsolved problem: identifying and explaining emergent properties of coupled networks, especially properties that appear only when multiple systems interact and that do not exist when each system is examined separately.
8) Why is prediction such a central theme in URoLEN?
The program emphasizes prediction because outcomes in these coupled networks can be nonlinear and difficult to infer from individual components. Prediction becomes even harder as environments shift more rapidly and extreme or rare events become more frequent.
9) What types of outcomes does URoLEN consider important?
URoLEN highlights that coupled emergent networks can generate wide-ranging, high-impact consequences that cascade across ecological networks, abiotic conditions, and social and economic systems.
10) What is an example given in the solicitation that illustrates URoLEN's focus?
The solicitation uses the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) as an example. Introduced through nursery stock, it largely removed the American chestnut from North American forests and triggered cascading effects across ecological networks and social/economic systems, from local community impacts to timber market consequences.
11) What research approaches are expected to be competitive for URoLEN?
Competitive projects are expected to use convergent approaches that bring together multiple disciplines, methods, and levels of organization to uncover generalizable principles and improve predictive capability.
12) What kinds of research outputs does URoLEN aim to produce?
Intended outcomes include new theory and more reliable predictions about how environmental changes will alter the behavior of complex living systems.
13) Does URoLEN support applied or intervention-oriented work?
Yes. In addition to prediction, URoLEN welcomes work aimed at "engineerable" interventions and technologies: actionable strategies or tools grounded in discovered rules of life that can help address real-world consequences and deliver societal benefits.
14) How does URoLEN treat education, training, and outreach?
Education, training, and outreach are valued as integrated parts of a research plan. The program encourages projects that create convergent training opportunities, develop new teaching modules, and broaden participation for groups historically underrepresented in science.
15) What kind of workforce development does URoLEN encourage?
URoLEN encourages preparing a workforce that can integrate biology with computation, engineering, environmental science, and (where relevant) social dimensions, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the research.
16) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for URoLEN?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 21-560.
17) What is the federal assistance category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is described as a discretionary NSF grant program in the science and technology research and development category.
18) Which CFDA listings are associated with this opportunity?
CFDA listings span multiple NSF accounts, including 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, and 47.083.
19) How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated around 10 awards.
20) What is the typical project duration supported by URoLEN?
Projects could be supported for up to five years.
21) What is the maximum budget mentioned for URoLEN projects?
Budgets are described as up to $3,000,000.
22) When was the solicitation originally posted?
The solicitation was originally posted on February 9, 2021.
23) What was the original closing date for the solicitation?
The original closing date was May 10, 2021.
24) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "others," and applicants are directed to consult the solicitation's eligibility section for specifics.
25) What is the key shift in perspective that URoLEN promotes compared to studying components in isolation?
URoLEN emphasizes moving beyond studying biological components on their own and instead understanding how system-level behaviors arise from interactions and feedback loops across coupled biological, environmental, infrastructure, and social systems.
26) What does URoLEN mean by "rules of emergence"?
"Rules of emergence" refers to the governing principles behind system-level behaviors that result from many interacting parts, producing outcomes that can be nonlinear, surprising, and not straightforwardly inferred by studying each part separately.
27) Does URoLEN encourage generalizable principles, or only case-specific studies?
The program emphasizes uncovering generalizable principles, alongside improving prediction for how complex living systems respond to environmental change.
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