Funding Undergraduate Education Research
The SimBio Foundation was established to fund research into improving biology education. The Foundation provides small grants each year to investigators with ideas for making biology education more effective. The Foundation is particularly interested in new ideas that may need preliminary results before looking for larger funding sources.
The SimBio Foundation publishes one call for proposals each year. Please explore this site for information about how to apply and the criteria used to select grant recipients. No unsolicited proposals accepted.
The SimBio Foundation Grant Program
Please read all information before submitting an application for a grant. The current application window is April 1 – April 15, 2024.
What Is Funded
The SimBio Foundation will consider any proposal related to undergraduate biology education but favors some topics within that field.
Criteria
Only proposals that meet certain criteria will be considered for funding. Please make sure your proposal fits before applying for a grant.
Apply
Applications are accepted via a google form. Please read more for information on what will be requested and the link to the application form.
Previously Awarded Grants
- Student-Led DBER and Teaching Practice in Introductory Biology Courses
- Biology Career Videos: Increasing the visibility of diverse scientific career pathways through counterstereotypical scientist role models
- Making the Invisible Visible: An interactive online tool to develop visual literacy about DNA
Partners
In 2024, The SimBio Foundation is partnering with the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) to jointly award this years grants. Awards will be announced at the SABER annual meeting in July 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
1
What types of research are most likely to receive funding?
The SimBio Foundation was established with money that came from educational simulations for teaching biology. While all proposals concerning biology education will be considered, proposals that in some way link to tools that help students learn or knowledge that helps designers build better learning tools will be favored. That said, funding will be awarded to the most interesting proposal(s) even if it does not fit those categories.
2
Do you fund individuals or institutions?
The SimBio Foundation solicits proposals from individual researchers, but prefers to issue the funds through an established institution such as a university or non-profit that can provide administrative support for the grant.
3
Do researchers need certain credentials to apply for funding?
There are no necessary credentials to apply for funding from The SimBio Foundation but proposals will be judged in part on whether the primary investigator has experience or is working within an environment which convinces reviewers of a high likelihood of making good use of the funds.
4
How large are the grants?
In 2024 The SimBio Foundation intends to issue one or two grants totaling $10,000. The reviewers will be looking for proposals whose scope is commensurate with the relatively small budget, but whose results have potential to spur larger endeavors if successful.
5
Does The SimBio Foundation provide funding for researchers outside the U.S.?
Unfortunately, due to the way U.S. non-profits operate and the small size of the foundation, The SimBio Foundation does not currently have the wherewithal to provide funding to researchers based outside of the U.S. Only proposals with a U.S. homebase can be funded. A U.S.-based researcher can potentially be funded to do a project that takes place outside of the U.S.
6
Do applicants need to attend the SABER annual meeting?
There is no requirement to attend the SABER annual meeting in order to receive an award. However, it is a valuable meeting and organization for those interested in biology education research and applicants may wish to consider membership.
7
Where does the name come from?
The SimBio Foundation was formed with funds from SimBiotic Software, a company that develops simulation-based biology labs and tutorials. The name acknowledges that history. The SimBio Foundation is independent of SimBiotic Software the company. Read more on the About page.