NSF PRFB: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology Guide

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) is an individual fellowship program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). As described in solicitation NSF 26-504 on the official NSF pages on 2026-11-07, it supports recent doctoral degree recipients whose research and training sit at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the biological sciences. Proposals are submitted by the individual rather than the host institution, and awards are made directly to the Fellow.

What It Is and Who Runs It

BIO (see the NSF BIO guide) offers the fellowships to scientists early in their careers who are ready to assume independence in their research and obtain training beyond their graduate education. NSF 26-504 was posted on February 5, 2026 and replaces NSF 24-593. The three competitive areas of the previous solicitation were replaced with a single focus: Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Biological Sciences to Strengthen and Safeguard Biotechnology Innovations. Fellows must affiliate with an appropriate research institution and are expected to devote themselves full time to the fellowship for its duration.

Eligibility

An individual is eligible to submit a proposal under NSF 26-504 if all of the following criteria are met; proposals that fail them are returned without review:

• The applicant is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. permanent resident at the time of submission.
• The research plan falls within the purview of BIO and focuses on the research area in the solicitation. Proposals with a clear biomedical focus are returned without review.
• The doctoral degree in an appropriate field is earned before the fellowship begins.
• The sponsoring scientists, departments, and institutions offer a significant opportunity to broaden the applicant’s research focus and training.
• The same research has not been submitted to another NSF postdoctoral fellowship program.
• The applicant has not worked in any position that requires a doctoral degree for a combined total of more than 15 full-time months before the deadline.
• The applicant has not submitted to PRFB more than once in previous years: one proposal per year and a maximum of two submissions in total, regardless of the outcome.

The awards are intended primarily for graduate students seeking independent support for their first postdoctoral position, or for early-career postdoctoral fellows. Because the fellowship stresses cross-training, the solicitation expects most applicants to have expertise in AI or in biology and to gain competence in the other, with sponsoring scientists who have complementary or dual expertise. Related training can include fields such as systems biology.

What It Funds

The fellowship is $110,000 per year for two years ($220,000 total) and the tenure is 24 continuous months. Fellowships are not renewable. Each year has two payments:

• Stipend ($85,000): paid directly to the Fellow.
• Fellowship allowance ($25,000): disbursed at the Fellow’s discretion, except that foreign travel requires prior NSF approval, for allowable expenses. It is intended to cover research- and training-related costs and fringe benefits. Allowable research costs include travel, field work, scientific meetings, training, special equipment, IT equipment and software, supplies, publication costs, and database access fees. Allowable fringe benefits include health insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings, dependent care, and moving expenses. Stipends or salaries for employees are not allowable, and Fellows may not serve as employers.

Payments are made directly to the Fellow by electronic funds transfer into a personal account at a U.S. financial institution. Up to two months of the fellowship may be used for paid leave, including parental or family leave. Research and training may take place at an appropriate U.S. or international host institution.

How to Apply

Proposals are prepared according to Chapter II.D.2 of the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), unless the solicitation differs, and are submitted by the candidate through Research.gov. The candidate acts as their own authorized organizational representative, not the sponsored projects office. The solicitation requires:

1. Individual registration: register in Research.gov as an individual before starting.
2. Project Summary (1 page maximum): an overview with separate statements on intellectual merit and broader impacts.
3. Project Description (6 pages maximum): separate headed sections for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, covering the research and training plan and how it differs from the dissertation research.
4. Doctoral Research Abstract (1 page maximum): an abstract of the doctoral research.
5. Sponsoring Scientist(s) Statement (3 pages maximum): one integrated statement with a specific mentoring plan, even when there are several sponsors.
6. Two reference letters: submitted directly by the authors in the Reference Letter Submission module, not uploaded by the proposer; each is limited to three pages.
7. Additional documents: personnel documents including the biographical sketch, current and pending support, and collaborators and other affiliations, plus References Cited and a Data Management and Sharing Plan. The budget is generated by Research.gov, and no budget justification is required.

Deadline and Timeline

NSF 26-504 lists full proposal deadlines of September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2027, then the fourth Tuesday in September annually, due by 5 p.m. submitting organization’s local time. Awards are made in the spring following the deadline. Fellows must request a start date between June 1 of the year following the deadline and September 1 of the year after that, a 15-month window.

How Proposals Are Reviewed

Proposals pass a compliance check, are read by an NSF Program Officer, and in most cases are reviewed by three or more external experts. Beyond the two National Science Board merit review criteria, the solicitation adds specific factors: the research plan is evaluated for scientific merit, feasibility, and independent thinking; the training plan for how distinct the research is from the doctoral work and its effect on career development; and the quality of the sponsoring scientist statement and the host institution. Reviewers also assess whether the work uses AI to analyze biological systems, yields insights with potential technological applications, and promotes AI-literate biological scientists.

Related Programs

Other postdoctoral funding mechanisms differ in sponsor, focus, and who receives the award. See the comparison of NSF postdoctoral fellowships by directorate and the NSF postdoctoral fellowship definition.

Program	Sponsor	Focus	Where to read more
NSF PRFB	NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences	AI and biological sciences; biotechnology innovation	This guide and the NSF 26-504 solicitation
NIH F32	National Institutes of Health	Individual postdoctoral NRSA fellowship	F32 postdoctoral individual NRSA fellowship
Other NSF postdoctoral fellowships	NSF directorates	Discipline-specific fellowships	NSF fellowships by directorate

Frequently Asked Questions

Can non-U.S. citizens apply for the NSF PRFB?

Under NSF 26-504, applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. permanent residents at the time of submission.

Can the fellowship be held at an international institution?

Yes. Research and training may be conducted at any appropriate U.S. or international host institution, and BIO encourages Fellows to gain international experience if the site offers strong support for the work. Appropriate international hosts include institutions of higher education and private non-profit institutes and organizations.

How much does the PRFB pay?

$110,000 per year for 24 months ($220,000 total), made up of an $85,000 stipend and a $25,000 fellowship allowance each year.

Can I submit the same research to another NSF postdoctoral fellowship?

No. An eligible applicant must not have submitted the same research to another NSF postdoctoral fellowship program.

How many times can an applicant apply to the PRFB program?

One proposal per year and no more than two submissions in total, regardless of the outcome.

Sources

• National Science Foundation. NSF 26-504: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) Program Solicitation. Checked 2026-11-07. https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/prfb-postdoctoral-research-fellowships-biology/nsf26-504/solicitation
• National Science Foundation. Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) program page. Checked 2026-11-07. https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/prfb-postdoctoral-research-fellowships-biology
• Grants.gov. Funding opportunity NSF 26-504, Assistance Listing 47.074. Checked 2026-11-07. https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/26-504