Synthetic Plant Biology – Request for Applications 2027: FAQs

No. Principal Investigators (PIs) must have a faculty position or an equivalent independent position. Postdocs and others in nonindependent positions are not eligible, even if their institution would grant them PI status for an application such as this.

No. All applicants must meet the eligibility criteria at the time of application, in addition to throughout the life of the award.

Applications should be submitted under the institution that would receive the funding, if awarded. Note that both your current position and your future position must meet the eligibility criteria in order to apply.

Yes, government agencies can apply. However, please note that all institutions submitting applications must be prepared to accept the Simons Foundation policies in full, if awarded. The policies are not negotiable.

No. Non-U.S. institutions are not eligible for this award.

Awards can be up to $360,000 per year for three years, including indirect costs (see our policies).

Indirect costs are allowed for this award. Indirect costs to the primary institution are limited to 20 percent of direct costs, with the following exceptions: equipment with a unit cost over $10,000, tuition and any portion of each subcontractor cost in excess of $25,000. The primary institution may take indirect costs on the first $25,000 modified total direct costs of each subcontract. Indirect costs paid to a subcontractor may not exceed 20 percent of the modified total direct costs paid to the subcontractor. The indirect cost rate is nonnegotiable (see our policies).

For assistance navigating SAM, please refer to the SAM frequently asked questions and instructional videos webpage.

No. Please be advised that all deadlines are in U.S. Eastern time. We recommend registering early and submitting with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times. You will not be able to submit after the deadline has passed.

If changes are required to the application after submission, you must first contact [email protected]. Applications can only be changed prior to the deadline. Once revised, the application must be sent for sign-off and signed by the Signing Official again in order to resubmit.

Only one person can edit a record at a time. A record will be locked for editing if another user already has it opened, and a gray bar will display at the bottom of the record to prevent multiple users from overwriting one another’s changes. Ask other users at your institution to close out of the application, and then refresh your page. If this still does not correct the issue, please reach out to [email protected].

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.