Incorporating Human Behavior In Epidemiological Models (IHBEM)

The funding opportunity titled "Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models (IHBEM)" is a program solicitation issued by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program is managed by the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, and the Directorate for Biological Sciences within the NSF, along with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at NIH and the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division at CDC. The solicitation was posted on April 10, 2025, and replaces the previous NSF 24-507 solicitation. The IHBEM program aims to support research that integrates social and behavioral processes into mathematical epidemiological models. The program is motivated by the need to enhance the effectiveness of public health interventions during pandemics by incorporating human behavior and social processes into models. The program encourages interdisciplinary collaborations that involve the mathematical sciences and the social, behavioral, or economic sciences, with additional participation from the biological sciences. The funding scope includes standard or continuing grants from NSF or R01 projects if selected by NIH/NIDA. The program anticipates awarding 10 to 15 grants, with a total funding amount ranging from $4,000,000 to $6,000,000 per year, depending on the quality of proposals and budget availability. Each award can have a total budget of up to $1,000,000 for a duration of three to four years. Proposals must focus on significant research challenges, such as incorporating behavioral realism, dynamic behavioral changes, multiple environments, and population heterogeneity into epidemiological models. Eligibility for submitting proposals is limited to U.S.-based institutions of higher education, including community colleges, acting on behalf of their faculty members. There are no restrictions on who may serve as a principal investigator (PI), but a PI or co-PI can only submit one proposal. The program prohibits the inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing and requires adherence to NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) for proposal preparation and submission. The full proposal submission deadline is July 14, 2025, by 5 p.m. local time of the submitting organization. Proposals can be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov, following the respective guidelines. Proposals must include a management plan, results from prior NSF or NIH support, and adhere to human subjects and vertebrate animals research requirements if applicable. Letters of collaboration are required to document significant collaborative arrangements. For further inquiries, potential applicants can contact program directors Zhilan J. Feng, Joseph M. Whitmeyer, Amy H. Criss, Katharina Dittmar, Diek Wheeler, or Phillip Salvatore via their provided email addresses and phone numbers. The program encourages the training of students and postdoctoral researchers at the intersection of mathematical and social sciences, and results dissemination in a timely and effective manner.

The program encourages interdisciplinary collaborations that involve the mathematical sciences and the social, behavioral, or economic sciences, with additional participation from the biological sciences. Proposals must focus on significant research challenges, such as incorporating behavioral realism, dynamic behavioral changes, multiple environments, and population heterogeneity into epidemiological models. Proposals must include a management plan, results from prior NSF or NIH support, and adhere to human subjects and vertebrate animals research requirements if applicable. Letters of collaboration are required to document significant collaborative arrangements. The program encourages the training of students and postdoctoral researchers at the intersection of mathematical and social sciences, and results dissemination in a timely and effective manner.