Who funds biotechnology research?

We count 233 funded biotechnology projects, active between 2020 and 2032, from 8 funders. The most came from EU · MSCA (39 projects), UKRI · BBSRC (27 projects) and EU · ERC (26 projects). The median award is $999K, across the 207 of 233 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

233

Funders

8

Median award

$999K

Open calls now

16

Top funders of biotechnology research

Projects whose title or summary mentions biotechnology. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open biotechnology funding calls

16 open calls mention biotechnology today; the 12 most on-topic are listed.

• Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
  European Commission · Horizon Europe · European Innovation Council€500,000 – €4,000,000Deadline: October 28, 2026 ·
• Innovative biotechnologies to restore soil health and improve agricultural competitiveness and resilience
  European Commission · Horizon Europe · EU MissionsUp to €6,400,000Deadline: April 8, 2027 ·
• Animal Biotechnology
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Plant Biotechnology
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Biotechnology application for CCU
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €6,000,000Deadline: September 22, 2027 ·
• Preclinical Proof of Concept Studies for Rare Diseases (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: July 2, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 9 funded (11% · NIH R21 (exploratory/developmental), all NIH institutes, FY2025)
• Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Biologic-based Drug Discovery and Development for Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: August 18, 2027 ·
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
  U.S. National Science FoundationUp to $220,000Deadline: September 28, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 8 funded (13% · NSF Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI), all proposals, FY2024)
• Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Neurotherapeutic Agent Characterization and In vivo Efficacy Studies (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: October 20, 2027 ·
• Transport Phenomena (TP)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Rolling (no fixed deadline listed)
• Chemical Process Systems (CPS)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Not listed
• Engineering Biological and Biomedical Systems (EBBS)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Not listed

Real odds

• About 1 in 9 funded · 11% · NIH R21 (exploratory/developmental), all NIH institutes, FY2025 · NIH Data Book, report 202
• About 1 in 8 funded · 13% · NSF Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI), all proposals, FY2024 · NSF funding rates (directorate page)

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Funded biotechnology projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• S-STEM: Future STEM Professionals in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Quantum Science, and Biotechnology
  NSF · EDU · $2,000,000 · ends 2032
• CAREER: Understanding the Biosynthesis of Terpenoid Mycotoxins
  NSF · MPS · $800,000 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Leveraging Conserved Gene Duplications to Improve Plant Regeneration
  NSF · BIO · $1,618,489 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Engineering and In Vitro Evolution of XNAs as a Platform for Protein Recognition and Aggregation Control
  NSF · MPS · $838,813 · ends 2031
• Research Infrastructure: Robust software infrastructure for bioBakery microbial community analyses in diverse environments
  NSF · BIO · $1,732,918 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Structure-Function Analysis of PEG-Lipid Shedding for Rational Design of Targeted Nanoparticles
  NSF · MPS · $750,000 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Integrating the chemistry and biological organization of neuroactive alkaloid biosynthesis
  NSF · BIO · $1,599,999 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Distribution-In-Distribution-Out Analytics: Modeling, Inference, and Applications in Data-Rich Science and Engineering
  NSF · ENG · $500,001 · ends 2031
• Engineering Robust Synthetic Microbial Communities for Sustainable Biotechnology Applications
  UKRI · BBSRC · £1,683,186 · ends 2030
• International Potato Center — Agricultural Development
  Gates Foundation · $1,000,000 · ends 2030

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “biotechnology”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.