Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models | 23 546

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 546

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled "Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models" (IHBEM), Funding Opportunity Number 23-546, supports research projects that improve epidemiological modeling by explicitly incorporating how people and societies behave. The central aim is to move beyond models that treat human behavior as fixed or purely theoretical by integrating evidence-based social, behavioral, and economic processes into mathematical and computational frameworks used to understand and forecast disease dynamics. In practice, this means proposals should connect epidemiological transmission and intervention modeling with realistic drivers of behavior such as risk perception, compliance and fatigue with public health guidance, social norms, mobility and contact decisions, misinformation and communication effects, economic constraints, and policy responses, among other factors that shape how outbreaks unfold.

A defining feature of the program is the expectation of genuinely interdisciplinary work, with balanced participation from the mathematical sciences and the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. NSF is looking for teams (or tightly integrated collaborations) where the behavioral and social science components are not an add-on, and where the mathematical modeling is not merely a wrapper around qualitative insights. Competitive projects typically make clear how behavioral theory and empirical findings will be translated into model structure, parameters, or decision rules, and how the modeling work will, in turn, generate new testable hypotheses or insights relevant to behavioral and social science. The emphasis on balance signals that both sides of the collaboration should meaningfully shape the research questions, methods, and outputs.

This opportunity is categorized as a discretionary, research and development grant within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. It is associated with CFDA numbers 47.049, 47.074, 47.075, and 93.279, reflecting its placement within NSF research portfolios and cross-cutting relevance to health-related modeling. The program anticipates making around 15 awards. The listed award ceiling is 0, which typically indicates that a fixed maximum award amount is not specified in the summary field and that applicants should consult the full solicitation and NSF guidance for expected budgets, project duration norms, and any programmatic constraints.

The original timeline indicates the opportunity was created on January 12, 2023, with an original closing date of April 14, 2023. While those dates describe that particular competition cycle, the program description captures the broader funding interest: advancing epidemiological models that better represent the feedback loop between disease spread and human decisions. This includes situations where behavior changes in response to perceived risk or policy, and where those behavioral changes then alter transmission, which can further influence behavior again. Research supported under IHBEM is therefore positioned to improve the realism and usefulness of epidemic forecasting and intervention analysis, especially when human choices, social networks, and economic tradeoffs strongly shape outcomes.

Eligibility is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," meaning eligibility is not fully defined in the brief summary provided and would normally require checking the full funding announcement for specifics (for example, whether it is limited to U.S.-based institutions, which organization types are allowed, and whether there are restrictions on roles such as PI or co-PI). The administering agency is the National Science Foundation, indicating the program is fundamentally research-focused and aligned with NSF priorities in advancing foundational knowledge and interdisciplinary scientific innovation.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049, 47.074, 47.075, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 12, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 14, 2023. (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 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 23 546

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