Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science | 25 542

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 542

The Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science opportunity is an interagency grant program led by the U.S. National Science Foundation that aims to push forward bold, high-risk, high-reward research at the intersection of advanced computing and real-world health needs. The central goal is to create transformative breakthroughs in areas like artificial intelligence, data science, computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, and behavioral or cognitive research, specifically when those fields are used to tackle difficult and urgent biomedical and public health questions. The program is set up for projects that do more than apply existing tools; it is looking for fundamental scientific and engineering innovations that can change what is possible in health research and health-related technologies.

A key theme of the solicitation is smarter, more intuitive end-to-end handling of health-related data. Competitive projects are expected to develop new methods that can intelligently collect, sense, connect, analyze, and interpret data coming from individuals, devices, and larger systems. In practice, that can include data streams from wearable sensors, mobile devices, clinical instruments, home monitoring technologies, public health surveillance systems, or integrated health platforms. The emphasis is on making these data flows usable for discovery and decision-making, with the ultimate aim of optimizing health outcomes. The solicitation frames these advances as enabling better scientific discovery and improved health optimization, meaning both deeper understanding of health and disease and more effective ways to support prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and population health strategies.

The program strongly emphasizes interdisciplinary teamwork as a requirement rather than a bonus. The problems being targeted are described as complex biomedical or public health challenges that cannot be solved well by a single discipline working alone. As a result, proposals are expected to be built around interdisciplinary teams that are ready to jointly address the health problem while also advancing foundational research in the underlying technical fields. That typically implies a tight integration between domain expertise in biomedical/public health contexts and technical expertise in AI, data science, computing, engineering, statistics, and related areas, with the project designed so that progress in one area meaningfully drives progress in the other.

Eligibility is limited to specific types of U.S.-based organizations. Proposals may be submitted by non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar entities, as long as they are located in the United States and are directly associated with educational or research activities. Proposals may also be submitted by U.S. Institutions of Higher Education, including both two-year and four-year accredited institutions (community colleges included), provided the institution is accredited in the United States and has a U.S. campus, submitting on behalf of its faculty. If a project proposes to send funding to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including through subawards or consultants), the proposal must clearly explain why work at that international campus benefits the project and why the work cannot reasonably be performed at the U.S. campus.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the science and technology research and development category. The funding opportunity number is 25-542, and the opportunity title is Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science. The original closing date listed is 2025-10-03. The program anticipates making about 16 awards, and the listed award ceiling is $1,200,000 per award. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with the opportunity, reflecting the interagency nature and the broad range of participating health and science program areas (including NSF and health-related federal programs).

Overall, this solicitation is best read as a call for ambitious, integrative research that can move both fields forward at once: advancing core AI/data/engineering/statistical or behavioral science methods while directly engaging with a high-impact biomedical or public health problem. The strongest fits are projects where the health challenge genuinely drives new technical invention and where the technical invention, in turn, enables new kinds of health insights or capabilities that were not feasible with standard approaches.

• The U.S. National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.070, 47.075, 93.121, 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.286, 93.310, 93.350, 93.361, 93.396, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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