Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 597
The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (Funding Opportunity Number 22-597) supports research aimed at understanding Earths deep-time sedimentary crust and the long-term history of environmental change and biological evolution recorded in rocks and fossils from before the Holocene. At its core, the program is designed for projects that use the sedimentary and fossil record to answer fundamental questions about how Earths surface environments, ecosystems, and life itself have changed across geologic time, with an emphasis on innovative approaches and strong links between the data being collected and big-picture interpretations of Earth history.
The program highlights four main research directions. First, it encourages studies on the evolution of life, ecology, environments, and biogeography using evidence from fossils, sediments, and geochemical proxies. This includes work that reconstructs ancient ecosystems, tracks biodiversity patterns and extinction or radiation events, and interprets how organisms interacted with their environments across different time periods and regions. Second, it invites research into the geological processes that form and shape the sedimentary lithosphere, including the mechanisms that create and preserve economically important organic and inorganic resources within sedimentary sequences. Projects in this area might examine basin evolution, sedimentary architecture, diagenesis, and the physical and chemical pathways that concentrate materials such as hydrocarbons, critical minerals, or other resource-related deposits in the rock record, while still keeping the emphasis on fundamental geoscience questions rather than applied exploration.
Third, the solicitation explicitly calls for new geochronological efforts that improve the ability to measure the timing, rates, and sequences of pre-Holocene sedimentary and biological events. In practice, this can include developing or applying dating methods to better constrain when depositional events occurred, how quickly environmental transitions unfolded, and how biological change lines up with climate shifts, tectonic events, or ocean-atmosphere reorganizations. Fourth, it supports research on how sediments are produced, transported, and deposited through time, spanning physical sediments (clastic), bioclastic materials (shell and skeletal debris), and chemical sediments (precipitates). This track covers the full sedimentary system from source to sink and can include field-based stratigraphy, process-based interpretation, laboratory analyses, and quantitative or modeling approaches, as long as the project is anchored in the geologic record and addresses deep-time questions.
A key boundary condition of the program is its focus on the pre-Holocene record. Projects that rely on modern or Holocene samples are not ruled out, but they must clearly explain how studying those materials will directly improve understanding of older, deep-time sedimentary, environmental, or fossil processes. In other words, modern analog studies need a strong justification that they are being used as tools to interpret ancient systems rather than being ends in themselves.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF research grant in the science and technology and other research and development category, listed under CFDA 47.050. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning proposals may be submitted by any entity type as allowed by NSF policies and any additional eligibility language in the full announcement. Proposals are accepted at any time rather than having a single annual deadline, and the program anticipates making around 30 awards. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically signals that a fixed maximum is not specified in the summarized record and that budgets are instead evaluated based on project scope, justification, and NSF norms for the relevant research area. The opportunity was created on May 14, 2022, and remains open on an ongoing submission basis.Apply for 22 597
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 14, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Proposals accepted anytime. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (Funding Opportunity Number 22-597)
What is this NSF funding opportunity?
This is a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary research grant opportunity titled Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (Funding Opportunity Number 22-597). It supports research that uses the sedimentary and fossil record to answer fundamental questions about Earth history, especially long-term environmental change and biological evolution recorded in rocks and fossils.
What is the main scientific focus of the program?
The program focuses on understanding Earths deep-time sedimentary crust and the long-term history of environmental change and biological evolution before the Holocene. Projects are expected to connect data collection (for example, from rocks, fossils, geochemical proxies, stratigraphy, or dating) to big-picture interpretations of how Earths surface environments, ecosystems, and life changed through geologic time.
What time period does "deep-time" refer to in this program?
Deep-time in this program refers to the pre-Holocene record. The solicitation emphasizes rocks and fossils from before the Holocene and prioritizes research that directly informs older sedimentary, environmental, and biological processes.
Are Holocene or modern samples allowed?
They are not automatically excluded, but they must be strongly justified. If a project uses modern or Holocene samples, it must clearly explain how those materials will directly improve understanding of pre-Holocene (deep-time) processes. Modern analog work is expected to function as a tool for interpreting ancient systems, not as the main end point.
What types of questions is the program trying to answer?
Based on the description provided, the program is aimed at fundamental questions such as: how Earths surface environments changed over geologic time; how ecosystems and biodiversity patterns shifted; how extinction and radiation events are recorded in the rock and fossil record; and how sedimentary processes and geological events shaped what is preserved through time.
What are the main research directions highlighted by the program?
The program highlights four main directions:
- Evolution of life, ecology, environments, and biogeography using fossils, sediments, and geochemical proxies.
- Geological processes that form and shape the sedimentary lithosphere, including mechanisms that create and preserve economically important organic and inorganic resources in sedimentary sequences (with a fundamental science emphasis).
- New geochronological efforts to improve constraints on timing, rates, and sequences of pre-Holocene sedimentary and biological events.
- Research on how sediments are produced, transported, and deposited through time, spanning clastic, bioclastic, and chemical sediments across source-to-sink systems.
What kinds of studies fit under evolution of life, ecology, environments, and biogeography?
This direction includes research that reconstructs ancient ecosystems, tracks biodiversity patterns, examines extinction or radiation events, and interprets organism-environment interactions across different time periods and regions using evidence preserved in fossils, sediments, and geochemical proxies.
Does the program support research connected to natural resources?
Yes, the program invites research into sedimentary lithosphere processes, including mechanisms that create and preserve economically important organic and inorganic resources within sedimentary sequences. Examples mentioned include work related to hydrocarbons, critical minerals, or other resource-related deposits, as long as the project remains focused on fundamental geoscience questions rather than applied exploration.
What does "fundamental geoscience questions rather than applied exploration" mean in this context?
It means the emphasis is on understanding the underlying geological processes (such as basin evolution, sedimentary architecture, diagenesis, and concentration pathways in the rock record) rather than conducting work framed primarily as exploration or resource development.
What kinds of geochronology work does the solicitation encourage?
The solicitation explicitly calls for geochronological efforts that improve the ability to measure the timing, rates, and sequences of pre-Holocene sedimentary and biological events. This can include developing or applying dating approaches to constrain when depositional events happened, how quickly environmental transitions occurred, and how biological changes align with major climate shifts, tectonic events, or ocean-atmosphere reorganizations.
What types of sedimentary processes and materials are included?
The sediment pathway emphasis spans the full sedimentary system from source to sink and includes:
- Clastic (physical) sediments
- Bioclastic materials (shell and skeletal debris)
- Chemical sediments (precipitates)
Projects may include field-based stratigraphy, process-based interpretation, laboratory analyses, and quantitative or modeling approaches, as long as they are anchored in the geologic record and address deep-time questions.
Is the program limited to field-based geology, or can it include lab and modeling work?
The description explicitly allows a range of approaches, including field-based stratigraphy, laboratory analyses, and quantitative or modeling approaches, provided the research is grounded in the geologic record and tied to deep-time interpretations.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 22-597.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 47.050.
What type of grant is this?
It is described as a discretionary NSF research grant in the science and technology and other research and development category.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning proposals may be submitted by any entity type as allowed by NSF policies and any additional eligibility language in the full announcement.
When are proposals due?
Proposals are accepted at any time rather than being limited to a single annual deadline, based on the information provided.
How many awards does NSF expect to make?
The program anticipates making around 30 awards.
Is there a maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically indicates a fixed maximum is not specified in the summarized record. Budgets are generally evaluated based on project scope, justification, and NSF norms for the relevant research area, according to the description provided.
When was this opportunity created, and is it still open?
The opportunity was created on May 14, 2022, and it remains open on an ongoing submission basis (proposals accepted at any time).
What makes a proposal a strong fit for this program based on the summary?
Based on the provided description, a strong fit would typically include: a clear focus on the pre-Holocene sedimentary and/or fossil record; an innovative approach; and a strong link between the data to be collected and big-picture interpretations of Earth history (environmental change, ecosystem evolution, and sedimentary system behavior through time).
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