Open for applications

Plant Biotic Interactions

U.S. National Science Foundation · Opportunity number 20-576

18252 days left (deadline Oct 5, 2076)

Details summarized from the official notice as of Oct 16, 2026. Always confirm eligibility, deadlines and requirements in the official notice before applying.

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Key facts

Opportunity number	20-576
Agency	U.S. National Science Foundation
Assistance listing (ALN, formerly CFDA)	47.074
Posted	May 14, 2020
Deadline	Oct 5, 2076
Expected number of awards	30
Estimated total program funding	$18,500,000
Cost sharing or matching required	No
Funding type	Grant
Category	Science technology and other research and development
Last updated here	Oct 16, 2026

Summary from the notice

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

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible:

Others named in the notice (see the eligibility text)

Not listed as eligible

Small businesses
Nonprofits
Colleges and universities
State governments
Local governments
Tribal governments and organizations
Larger for-profit companies
Individuals

Unless the eligibility text in the notice names you, this opportunity is probably not for you.

Eligibility details from the notice

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. - USDA/NIFA Eligible applicants include: (1) State agricultural experiment stations; (2) colleges and universities (including community colleges offering associate degrees or higher); (3) university research foundations; (4) other research institutions and organizations; (5) Federal agencies, (6) national laboratories; (7) private organizations or corporations; (8) individuals who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents; and (9) any group consisting of 2 or more entities identified in (1) through (8). Eligible institutions do...

Registrations you will likely need

Most applications submitted through Grants.gov need the following. Registration can take several weeks, so start early. The notice lists the exact requirements.

SAM.gov registration for your organization, which also gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI). Registration is free.
A Login.gov account, which Grants.gov uses for sign-in.
A Grants.gov applicant registration linked to your organization's UEI.

Past awards for this program

Totals for assistance listing 47.074 from public USASpending.gov data, as of Sep 23, 2026. Past awards do not predict future funding.

Year	Listing	Awards	Total	Average
2026	47.074	7	$187,602,317	$26,800,331
2025	47.074	6	$175,835,355	$29,305,893
2024	47.074	6	$201,363,355	$33,560,559

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Before you apply

Read the full official notice, including the evaluation criteria.
Confirm your organization type and location are eligible.
Check your SAM.gov registration is active.
Note the exact deadline time and time zone in the notice.

Plant Biotic Interactions

Key facts

Summary from the notice

Who can apply

Not listed as eligible

Eligibility details from the notice

Registrations you will likely need

Past awards for this program

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