The National Science Foundation Nano-Biosensing program supports fundamental engineering research on devices and methods for measurement and quantification of biological analytes.
The program is offering grants for research and development to advance the state-of-the-art in nano-biosensing. Stated areas of interest include:
- Improved multi-purpose sensor platforms
- Novel transduction mechanisms and sensor designs
- Error-free detection of pathogens and toxins in food matrices, waterborne pathogens, parasites, toxins, and biomarkers in body fluids
- Highly selective bio-recognition elements which exhibit zero false negative responses.
- Nano-biosensors that enable measurement of kinetics and thermodynamics of biomolecular interactions in their native states, transmembrane transport, intracellular transport, and other biological phenomena
- Fundamental studies on surface functionalization and immobilization of bio-recognition molecules, orientation, activity, stability and effectiveness at biosensor interfaces
NSF stated that this grant program does not support applications with incremental improvements of existing approaches and technologies. Projects that do not include experimental characterization of sensor responses to biological analytes are also discouraged.
Further details on the grant program are available via Solicitation Number: PD-15-7909. The deadline for applications is October 20, 2015.