Plant Biotic Interactions
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for research on plant biotic interactions, including pathogen-plant dynamics and plant-organism symbiosis. Eligible applicants include U.S. institutions of higher education, state agricultural experiment stations, research foundations, federal agencies, and certain nonprofits like museums and research labs. International collaborations are allowed, but US institutions must lead and justify any international branch campus work. All projects must address fundamental biological mechanisms or agricultural relevance and cannot be purely ecological.
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Program description
The Plant Biotic Interactions (PBI) program supports research on the processes that mediate beneficial and antagonistic interactions between plants and their viral, bacterial, oomycete, fungal, plant, and invertebrate symbionts, pathogens and pests. This joint NSF/NIFA program supports projects focused on current and emerging model and non-model systems, and agriculturally relevant plants. The program’s scope extends from fundamental mechanisms to translational efforts, with the latter seeking to put into agricultural practice insights gained from basic research on the mechanisms that govern plant biotic interactions. Projects must be strongly justified in terms of fundamental biological processes and/or relevance to agriculture and may be purely fundamental or applied or include aspects of both perspectives. All types of symbiosis are appropriate, including commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, and host-pathogen interactions. Research may focus on the biology of the plant host, its pathogens, pests or symbionts, interactions among these, or on the function of plant-associated microbiomes. The program welcomes proposals on the dynamics of initiation, transmission, maintenance and outcome of these complex associations, includingstudies of metabolic interactions, immune recognition and signaling, host-symbiont regulation, reciprocal responses among interacting species and mechanisms associated with self/non-self recognition such as those in pollen-pistil interactions. Explanatory frameworks shouldinclude molecular, genomic, metabolic, cellular, network and organismal processes, with projects guided by hypothesis and/or discovery driven experimental approaches. Strictly ecological projects that do not address underlying mechanisms are not appropriate for this program. Quantitative modeling in concert with experimental work is encouraged. Overall, the program seeks to support research that will deepen our understanding of the fundamental processes that mediate interactions between plants and the organisms with which they intimately associate and advance the application of that knowledge to benefit agriculture.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Project Narrative (research plan)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- References (within narrative or separate)
- Biosketches for senior personnel
- Current and Pending Support statement
- NSF-specific cover sheet (SF-424 or NSF equivalent)
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.310 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$20,189,383
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$20,000,000
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$20,000,000
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$19,998,042
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$15,000,000
-
$14,810,000
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$14,592,249
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$12,000,000
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$10,071,776
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$10,000,000
Top States by Funding
- CA 10 awards $82.8M
- OH 9 awards $59.8M
- IA 5 awards $52.9M
- TX 7 awards $50.6M
- FL 8 awards $48.2M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 10.310). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $506,515,614 | |
| 2025 | $194,568,953 | |
| 2026 est. | $397,335,870 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
U.S. colleges, universities, agricultural experiment stations, research institutions, nonprofits, and federal agencies. International collaborations are permitted if the US institution leads.
What types of research does PBI support?
Studies of plant-pathogen interactions, symbionts, pests, host immune responses, and plant microbiomes. Projects must focus on underlying biological mechanisms, not purely ecological observations.
Are there any restrictions on what topics I can study?
Yes. Proposals must address mechanisms of plant biotic interactions or have agricultural relevance. Purely ecological projects without mechanistic focus are not eligible.
Is there cost sharing required?
No. Cost sharing is not required for this program.
What is the timeline for this grant?
The program operates on a rolling deadline. Check the NSF website for specific submission windows and target dates.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize the fundamental biological mechanisms governing the interactions you study, even if your work has agricultural applications. Reviewers want clear mechanistic insight.
- Include quantitative modeling alongside experimental work when relevant. The program encourages integrated approaches that combine data with theoretical frameworks.
- If your research addresses emerging systems or non-model organisms, explain why these are critical to understanding plant biotic interactions.
- For agricultural applications, connect your basic research findings directly to practical outcomes. Show the translational pathway from mechanism to practice.
- Clearly articulate whether your project is fundamental, applied, or both. Avoid purely descriptive or ecological approaches without mechanistic explanations.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals that focus purely on ecology or description without explaining underlying biological mechanisms are rejected. Projects lacking clear hypothesis-driven or discovery-based experimental design miss funding. Applicants sometimes underestimate the importance of demonstrating agricultural relevance or fundamental significance to reviewer evaluation.
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