Biological Oceanography Program: Additional Information

The U.S. National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography Program (BioOce) supports biological oceanographic and marine ecological research in environments ranging from estuarine and coastal systems to the deep sea, as well as in the Great Lakes. The program supports interdisciplinary research and often co-reviews and co-funds projects with other programs in the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), the Directorate of Biological Sciences (BIO) and across the agency.

Submitted proposals must have a compelling context in population, community or ecosystem ecology or oceanography and address topics that will contribute significantly to the understanding of marine or Great Lakes ecosystems. If your proposal is on an applied topic, like fisheries stock assessments, pollution and microplastics impacts, ecotoxicology, harmful algal blooms, restoration ecology, geoengineering and conservation biology, your focus is outside the scope of NSF BioOce. You can incorporate those topics as broader impact objectives, provided that your primary intellectual motivation for the proposal is in basic ecology or oceanography.

If you anticipate co-review, it is important that you submit your proposal to the NSF program that supports the main research focus of the project, as that program will lead the peer review. For example, NSF BIO programs lead the review process when the primary focus is on organismal physiology, symbiotic mechanisms, cellular biology, biochemistry, molecular genetic processes, systematics or evolution.

We encourage you to email biooce@nsf.gov a one-page summary of your project's research goal and objectives so we can help guide you to the appropriate program to submit your proposal. 

NSF offers a Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism to facilitate urgent fundamental research, including quick-response research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events. Proposals may be funded for up to 12 months and for $200,000. The RAPID mechanism is not intended to support a "ship of opportunity" or similar request. 

If you have an idea for a proposal, please consult the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (Part I. Chapter II.F.2) and reach out by email (biooce@nsf.gov). We will request you send a two-page (maximum) prospectus that we will evaluate to see if your proposed project objectives meet the criteria for a RAPID award. If it does, we will invite you to develop an official proposal to submit through Research.gov.

For any supplement request, be sure to contact the managing program director responsible for your award to discuss the opportunity before submitting any formal request in Research.gov. Note that awards originating from cross-directorate or special competitions typically do not have supplemental support available.

The program rarely supports general requests for supplemental funding, with rare exceptions for unusual circumstances or emergency situations where a small amount of additional funding is needed to ensure completion of the original scope of the awarded project.

In addition, the PAPPG describes special supplemental requests, such as for Career-Life Balanceor Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities, that NSF will consider on a case-by-case basis.

You are encouraged to include funding for Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Research Experiences for Teachers or Research Opportunity Awards activities as part of full proposals that undergo peer review rather than as post-award supplements. If a unique opportunity arises, we may provide supplemental support to awards from the core program.

NSF does not normally provide funds for international collaborators or employees of federal agencies or federally funded research and development centers, as stated in the PAPPG sections I.E.2.c. and I.E.2.d., respectively. You must contact the program prior to submitting a proposal to discuss possible support for federal employees or international participants (including travel costs).

The NSF Directorate for Geosciences (NSF GEO) participates in several specific opportunities, known as lead agency agreements, that allow for international collaboration through a single proposal and review process and with funding from both NSF and a partnering government agency. Some of these involve ocean science topics (details can be found in the Dear Colleague Letters).