External Project Grants

The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology requests proposals for research projects concordant with its scientific mission based at institutional partners external to Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

Funding Period 9/1/25 - 8/31/27

Proposals should be submitted online by Monday, March 31, 2025 at 11:59pm

Submit Proposals

Policies

Funds can be used to support the stipend/salary/fringe of graduate and undergraduate research assistants and postdoctoral scholars. Funds may not be used to support faculty, research staff, or administrative staff. Funds may not be used to purchase capital equipment. No more than $10,000 (direct costs) may be spent on experimental supplies and services. Funds may not be used to purchase computer equipment or purchase/lease software. No more than $1,200 (direct costs) in travel funds are allowed.
Investigators can be funded by at most one active NITMB external projects grant.
The term of award is 24 months, split into two funding periods of 12 months each. At the end of the first 12-month period, a progress report must be submitted to NITMB, which will be evaluated on 1) Merit Review Criteria; 2) progress toward stated project goals; and 3) engagement in NITMB activities by the project’s investigators. Continued funding is contingent on adequate progress shown in the first 12-month period.
No-Cost-Extensions are not permitted for the funding of the project. At the end of the 24-month funding period, a final written progress report is required from the investigators, documenting research progress, key findings, new mathematical results and their impact on biology, any grant applications made as a consequence of the project, and future directions. This report must also provide information (level of support, research tasks, and additional information requested by the NSF or Simons Foundation) about any trainees supported by the funds for the NITMB evaluation process. Any software, datasets, or models resulting from supported research must be made publically available, well-documented, and easily accessible when published as preprint or paper; such materials will be posted on the NITMB web page, Github, Datajoint, Dryad, etc. Each team must also produce a publicly accessible blog, social media post and/or video abstract for each publication resulting from the proposed research.
The principal investigators are required to present their project research at an NITMB convening activity (e.g., a workshop or conference).
If the project involves experiments on animals, all NSF protocols must be followed and appropriate forms must be submitted to the NITMB.

Reporting

Awarded projects will deliver a progress report by the deadline outlined in the award documents to nitmb@nitmb.org. The progress report should contain the following elements:

Cover Page

Award #
Project Title
Principal Investigator Name, Title, and Contact Information (e-mail address and phone number)
Submitting Official, Title, and Contact Information (e-mail address and phone number), if different from PI.
Institution DUNS and EIN Numbers
Project/Grant Period of Performance
Reporting Period End Date
Indication of Whether Final or Interim Report
Signature of Principal Investigator, or Submitting Official

Programmatic Information (max. 2 pages)

Research Accomplishments
- What was done? What was learned?
- Evaluate how the project has engaged with “new mathematics”.
- Evaluate how the project has integrated mathematics with biology.
- Evaluate the broader scientific impacts of the project
Participant Engagement
- Who has been involved?
- What NITMB activities, workshops, or conferences have trainees on the project participated in?
- How has the project team engaged with NITMB activities outside the funded research? See #6 in Merit Review Criteria for examples.
Changes/Problems
- Changes in approach and reasons for change.
- Problems or delays and plans to resolve them.

Financial Information

Please provide a report documenting the expenses incurred over the course of the project, including a brief narrative explanation if expenses differ from the awarded budget. Including projected costs for the last month of the reporting period is acceptable.

Proposals

Proposals must only be submitted from faculty working at accredited U.S. academic institutions. All investigators who will be funded by the External Pilot Project Grants must have an active appointment at a U.S. academic institution. No more than two academic institutions can receive funds from a single Project Grant, although the research can involve investigators at more than two academic institutions if desired. Investigators may not be key personnel in more than one proposal. Northwestern and UChicago investigators may partner with external pilot projects but are ineligible to receive funds through this program.

Proposals may be submitted for funds for 24 months of support of no more than $150,000 (direct + indirect costs). Details about submission requirements are listed under “Procedures” below.

The research proposal must include the following:

A statement defining the problem or phenomenon (mathematical or biological) that the research will address.
A description of how the research will advance understanding of the biological phenomenon.
A description of how the research will advance the development of new mathematics.
A statement of which NITMB research themes are touched upon by the proposed research and why.
A detailed description of the approaches that will be taken, methods used, anticipated outcomes, and contingency plans for all thrusts of the proposed research.
A description of the participants in the research and how they will work together to achieve the project goals.

Proposals should be submitted online at
https://uchicago.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1961614
by Monday, March 31, 2025, at 11:59pm. Proposals should directly address the Merit Review Criteria and conform to the funding policies detailed below. Investigators may not be key personnel in more than one proposal. Northwestern and UChicago investigators may partner with external pilot projects but are ineligible to receive funds through this program.

Merit Review Criteria:

Advancement of the NITMB mission to create a nationwide collaborative research community that will generate new mathematics inspired by biology and new biological discoveries driven by the application of mathematics.
The extent to which the research will develop new mathematics (including pure and applied math, algorithms, computation, and statistical methods). This must be clearly articulated in the proposal. Applying existing computational tools to a new dataset is, on its own, insufficient to qualify as new math. Illustrative examples of “new mathematics” include (but are not limited to):
- Novel use of some branch/type of math in the study of a phenomenon  (e.g., applying topology to a problem previously only addressed with regression models)
- The first time a phenomenon is quantitatively addressed  (e.g., establishing a metric for 2d shapes)
- New pure and applied mathematics addressing theoretical holes  (e.g., relaxing simplifying assumptions)
The extent to which the research will have a high reward or impact even if it is high risk.
The extent to which the project will broaden the portfolio of NITMB-supported research.
How well the research integrates mathematics with biology, with investigators providing complementary expertise.
Collaborations between mathematicians and experimentalists are encouraged, but projects are not required to have an experimental component and may use pre-existing datasets.
The quality of the mentoring plan for trainees. Trainees funded through NITMB will be expected to participate in some NITMB activities, such as workshops or conferences.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals for team engagement with NITMB activities outside the funded research. Examples might include:
- Organizing a workshop
- Mentor summer undergraduate research
- Running a training activity or collection of tutorials
- Substantive engagement with minority-serving institution partners
- Outreach and education activities
- Participation in the NITMB Visiting Scholars Program.

Procedures

Timeline:
- Release call for applications Jan. 22, 2025
- Application deadline March 31, 2025
- Awards notification June 2, 2025
- Work start date Sept. 1, 2025 (or 1-2 months thereafter)
Proposals should include a 4-page research proposal, a one-page mentoring plan and statement on efforts toward engagement and community building, a budget using the provided template, a budget justification, and biosketches in NIH or NSF format for all investigators. The proposal should address all the merit review criteria described below and list the names of the personnel to be supported (if known at the time of application). If supplies are requested, please include a short itemized budget in the justification.
Pre-screening of applications will occur to ensure that they are complete and conform to eligibility requirements.
Each application will be reviewed initially by at least two NITMB Research Committee members. A common rubric/scoring system will be used for all applications. The full committee will then meet to consider and rank the applications based on the merit criteria.
The NITMB Research Committee will recommend applications to be funded to the NITMB Scientific Advisory Council, which will review recommendations. Upon a final decision, the awarded applicants will be notified.
The awarded applicants must coordinate with their respective university administrations to execute the sub-contracts between the NITMB and their home institutions during the summer months, in order to have a Sept 1 start date.
Funding recipients must otherwise contribute to NITMB training and/or programming efforts, such as attending NITMB workshops or conferences or participating in educational activities.
At the end of the funding period:
- A final written progress report is required from the investigators, documenting research progress, key findings, and future directions. This report must also provide information (level of support and research tasks) about any trainees supported by the funds for the NITMB evaluation process.
- Any software, datasets, or models resulting from supported research must be made publically available, well-documented, and easily accessible when published as preprint or paper; such materials will be posted on the NITMB web page, Github, Datajoint, Dryad, etc.
- Each team must also produce a publicly accessible blog, social media post and/or video abstract for each publication resulting from the proposed research. The above artifacts will be evaluated during the competitive renewal process if sought.
Any changes in the project budget must be requested by the principal investigators for approval by the NITMB before changes are made.
We anticipate making 4-6 awards per year, subject to the availability of funds.
All papers and conference presentations resulting from the funded work are expected to acknowledge the NITMB award.
The principal investigators are required to submit documentation of approval from their Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) when live vertebrate animals are involved in the proposed research.

Background

Northwestern University and the University of Chicago have been awarded funds from the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation to establish the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology, or NITMB, based in downtown Chicago. The institute is the first of its kind in the U.S.

Together, the two universities are creating a nationwide collaborative research community that will generate new mathematical results and uncover the “rules of life” through theories, mathematical models, and computational and statistical tools. Foundational advances in biology and mathematics at the NITMB will have broad impacts, such as increased knowledge of human intelligence, advances in the biomedical sciences, and a better understanding of the effects of climate change on plants and animals. The institute offers bidirectional opportunities: Discoveries in biology will also motivate new developments in mathematics.

Critical goals for the NITMB are to catalyze the growth of mathematical biology in the U.S. and to become a national nexus for mathematical biology. To achieve these goals, NITMB aims to support research conducted by scientists around the nation. One mechanism it does so is via funding external research projects. Important criteria for project funding are: (1) collaborative research bringing together people from different disciplines or subdisciplines; (2) ensuring the breadth of the NITMB research portfolio in both biology and mathematics; (3) encouraging creative, bold, high-risk high-reward research; and (4) supporting the development of new mathematics.

About NITMB
Overview
Community Values
Contact Us
Jobs

People
Leadership
NITMB Faculty
NITMB Fellows
Visiting Scholars
External Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Council
Staff

Activities
Overview
Workshops
Emerging Directions
Meetings & Conferences

Propose
Propose an Activity
Propose a Workshop
Propose a Long Program

Reimbursement
Reimbursement Policy

About Research
Themes
Supported Research
Research Highlights
Acknowledgements
External Project Grants
Internal Project Grants
Internal Grant Renewal

Visiting Scholars
About Visiting Scholars

Visitor Info

Travel
Getting Here
Visit NITMB
Reimbursement

Access
Building Access
Space Reservation
Code of Conduct

Visiting Scholars
About Visiting Scholars

Overview
Education & Training Overview
Summer Undergraduate Research Program

NITMB Fellows
About NITMB Fellows

Fellows Call for Applications from Mathematics

External Project Grants

Funding Period 9/1/25 - 8/31/27

Proposals should be submitted online by Monday, March 31, 2025 at 11:59pm

Policies

Reporting

Proposals

Procedures

Background

About NITMB Overview Community Values Contact Us Jobs

People Leadership NITMB Faculty NITMB Fellows Visiting Scholars External Advisory Board Scientific Advisory Council Staff

Activities Overview Workshops Emerging Directions Meetings & Conferences

Propose Propose an Activity Propose a Workshop Propose a Long Program

Reimbursement Reimbursement Policy

About Research Themes Supported Research Research Highlights Acknowledgements External Project Grants Internal Project Grants Internal Grant Renewal

Visiting Scholars About Visiting Scholars

Visitor Info

Travel Getting Here Visit NITMB Reimbursement

Access Building Access Space Reservation Code of Conduct

Visiting Scholars About Visiting Scholars

Overview Education & Training Overview Summer Undergraduate Research Program

NITMB Fellows About NITMB Fellows

Fellows Call for Applications from Mathematics

External Project Grants

Funding Period 9/1/25 - 8/31/27 Proposals should be submitted online by Monday, March 31, 2025 at 11:59pm

Background

About NITMB
Overview
Community Values
Contact Us
Jobs

People
Leadership
NITMB Faculty
NITMB Fellows
Visiting Scholars
External Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Council
Staff

Activities
Overview
Workshops
Emerging Directions
Meetings & Conferences

Propose
Propose an Activity
Propose a Workshop
Propose a Long Program

Reimbursement
Reimbursement Policy

About Research
Themes
Supported Research
Research Highlights
Acknowledgements
External Project Grants
Internal Project Grants
Internal Grant Renewal

Visiting Scholars
About Visiting Scholars

Travel
Getting Here
Visit NITMB
Reimbursement

Access
Building Access
Space Reservation
Code of Conduct

Visiting Scholars
About Visiting Scholars

Overview
Education & Training Overview
Summer Undergraduate Research Program

NITMB Fellows
About NITMB Fellows

Funding Period 9/1/25 - 8/31/27

Proposals should be submitted online by Monday, March 31, 2025 at 11:59pm