Cellular and Biochemical Engineering
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
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This grant is for researchers seeking to fund fundamental engineering research on cellular and biochemical processes. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research organizations, and individual investigators with research capacity. Research must advance understanding of biomolecular interactions and cellular systems, with applications to biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, or biotechnology. The NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified researchers, though investigators with innovative ideas outside core areas should contact the program director before submitting.
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Program description
Synopsis
TheCellular and Biochemical Engineering(CBE)program is part of theEngineering Biology and Healthcluster, which also includes: 1) theBiophotonicsprogram; 2) theBiosensingprogram; 3) theDisability and Rehabilitation Engineeringprogram; and 4) theEngineering of Biomedical Systemsprogram.
TheCellular and Biochemical Engineeringprogram supports fundamental engineering research that advances understanding of cellular andbiomolecular processes. CBE-funded research may lead to the development of enabling technology for advanced biomanufacturing of therapeutic cells, biochemicals, and biopharmaceuticals, and for otherbiotechnology industrie.
The program encourages highly innovative and potentially transformative engineering research leading to novel bioprocessing and biomanufacturing approaches. Fundamental to many CBE research projects is the understanding of how biomolecules, subcellular systems, cells, and cell populations interact, and how those interactions lead to changes in structure, function, and behavior. A quantitative treatment of problems related to biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the CBE program.
Major areas of interest for the program include:
- Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for biomanufacturing,
- The design of synthetic metabolic components and synthetic cells,
- Microbiome structure, function, maintenance, and design,
- Protein and enzyme engineering, and
- Design of integrated chemoenzymatic systems.
The CBE program also encourages proposals that effectively integrate knowledge and practices from different disciplines while incorporating ongoing research into educational activities.
All proposals should include a description on the potential impact of proposed research on an associated biomanufacturing process.
Proposals whose core innovation involves tissue engineering, organ culture, development of models of healthy or diseased physiology, or design and application of technologies focused on the diagnosis or treatment of disease should be submitted to theEngineering ofBiomedicalSystemsprogram(CBET 5345).
Innovative proposals outside of these specific interest areas may be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the Principal Investigator contact the program director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review.
INFORMATION COMMON TO MOST CBET PROGRAMS
Proposals should address the novelty and/orpotentially transformative natureof the proposed work compared to previous work in the field. Also, it is important to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, as well as to also project the potential impact of success in the research on society and/or industry. The novelty or potentially transformative nature of the research should be included, as a minimum, in the Project Summary of each proposal.
The duration of unsolicited proposal awards in CBET is generally up to three years. Single-investigator award budgets typically include support for one graduate student (or equivalent) and up to one month of principal investigator time per year(awards for multiple investigator projects are typically larger). Proposal budgets that are much larger than typical should be discussed with the Program Director prior to submission. Proposers can view budget amounts and other information from recent awards made by this program via the “What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)” link towards the bottom of this page.
Faculty Early Career Development(CAREER)program proposals are strongly encouraged. Award duration is five years. The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year. Learn more in theCAREER program description.
Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements: Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to discuss their requests with the Program Director before submission of the proposal.
Grants forRapid Response Research(RAPID)andEArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research(EAGER)are also considered when appropriate. Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the program director before submission.Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)proposals that integrate fundamental research with translational results and are consistent with the application areas of interest to each program are also encouraged. Please note that RAPID, EAGER, and GOALI proposals can be submitted anytime during the year. Details about RAPID, EAGER, and GOALI are available in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide(PAPPG), Part 1, Chapter II, Section E: Types of Proposals.
Compliance: Proposals that are not compliant with theProposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)will be returned without review.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- NSF standard grant proposal form (PAPPG)
- Project Summary (including novelty and transformative potential)
- Project Description
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical sketches
- References cited
Program contact
- 👤 National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4261
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.041 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$41,946,862
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$39,155,237
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$38,277,956
-
$37,936,436
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$36,940,111
-
$36,277,271
-
$36,183,087
-
$32,471,912
-
$32,414,114
-
$31,561,058
Top States by Funding
- TX 3 awards $90.6M
- CA 7 awards $85.0M
- IL 5 awards $83.9M
- AZ 2 awards $68.7M
- NC 2 awards $63.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.041). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $752,230,000 | |
| 2025 | $727,730,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $181,990,000 |
FAQ
What types of research does this program fund?
CBE funds fundamental engineering research on cellular and biochemical processes. Projects often involve metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, microbiome design, protein engineering, or chemoenzymatic systems with potential biomanufacturing applications.
Is there a submission deadline?
The program operates on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline. CAREER proposals have a July deadline and support five-year projects.
What can I request in my budget?
Typical unsolicited proposals support one graduate student and up to one month of principal investigator time per year. Larger budgets require prior approval from the program director.
How long can my project be?
Unsolicited proposals typically support three-year projects. CAREER proposals support five-year awards and have stronger competition.
Should I contact the program director before applying?
Yes, contact them if your work falls outside core interest areas or if your budget significantly exceeds typical amounts. This avoids desk rejection.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize the quantitative, engineering-focused aspects of your research; qualitative biological work may not fit this program's scope.
- Clearly explain how your research could impact biomanufacturing or biotechnology industries, even for fundamental work.
- Include novelty and transformative potential explicitly in your project summary; NSF reviewers expect this framing.
- Contact the program director early if your research sits at disciplinary boundaries or involves medical applications; misdirected proposals get rejected without review.
- Consider CAREER funding if you're an early-career faculty member; five-year support and stronger funding are worth the July submission timeline.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Submitting tissue engineering, organ culture, or disease-focused research (redirect to Engineering of Biomedical Systems program). Failing to address biomanufacturing relevance or quantitative rigor. Requesting budgets much larger than typical without pre-approval from program director.
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