Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 518
The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled "Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval" (SemiSynBio-II) is a focused research program aimed at pushing beyond conventional electronic memory and storage by borrowing core ideas from biology and combining them with semiconductor technology. The program is built around the idea that future computing systems, especially ultra-low-energy systems, may rely more on storage-based computing and new device concepts that are inspired by how organic and biological systems store, encode, and retrieve information. NSF is looking for projects that do not just incrementally improve existing memory technologies, but instead explore fundamentally new approaches that could reshape long-term information storage.
A central motivation of the solicitation is the possibility of next-generation storage technologies that use biological principles and biomaterials to achieve extremely dense, durable data storage. The vision described in the opportunity is ambitious: devices and systems that could preserve data for more than 100 years and offer storage capacities on the order of 1,000 times greater than what is typical today. By emphasizing synthetic biology integrated with semiconductors, the program is targeting the scientific and engineering foundations required to make such long-horizon capabilities realistic, including understanding and controlling the physical, chemical, and biological processes that would enable reliable storage and retrieval at scale.
SemiSynBio-II is explicitly high-risk and high-return, meaning NSF is encouraging proposals that may be technically challenging or unconventional but could produce outsized breakthroughs if successful. The work is expected to be strongly interdisciplinary, bringing together expertise across biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science, and engineering. Rather than treating biology as a separate domain, the solicitation emphasizes integration, including new concepts and enabling technologies that address the fundamental scientific issues and technological barriers that arise when synthetic biology approaches intersect with semiconductor platforms and device fabrication.
Administratively, the program is run through multiple NSF divisions: Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), and Materials Research (DMR). It is a discretionary grant opportunity in the science and technology research and development category, with CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.049, 47.070, and 47.074. The funding opportunity number is 20-518. The solicitation was created on November 15, 2019, with an original proposal deadline of March 16, 2020. NSF anticipated making about 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $1,500,000 per award. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with applicants expected to consult the solicitation's eligibility section for the exact qualifying categories and conditions.
In practical terms, a competitive proposal under this call would likely frame a clear, testable research vision for biologically inspired or biomaterial-enabled information storage and retrieval, explain why the approach could surpass traditional technologies in density, longevity, or energy efficiency, and present an interdisciplinary plan that connects fundamental mechanisms to device or system-level implications. The program is designed to stimulate cross-field collaboration and to create the conditions for breakthroughs that would be difficult to achieve within a single traditional discipline.Apply for 20 518
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval" 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, 47.070, 47.074.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 15, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 16, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- 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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