Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis

Synopsis of Program:



The OPUS program is targeted to individuals, typically at later-career stages, whohave contributed significant insights to a field or body of research over time. The program provides an opportunity to revisit and synthesize that prior research into a unique, integrated product(s) useful to the scientific community, now and in the future.


All four clusters within the Division of Environmental Biology (Ecosystem Science, Evolutionary Processes, Population and Community Ecology, and Systematics and Biodiversity Science) encourage the submission of OPUS proposals.

Synopsis of Program:

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
-Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.
-Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.