2026-27 Call for Working Group Proposals

Overview

Faculty team meeting

The Bioengineering & Life Sciences (BELS) Initiative advances human health and wellness through interdisciplinary biomedical research and training - from fundamental discovery through the detection, prevention, and treatment of disease. Launched in 2024 as a joint initiative of the College of Engineering and College of Science and a key priority in the University’s strategic framework, BELS is organized around three strategic pillars - health foundations, health technologies, and health equities - with particular attention to conditions and populations that have historically received less research investment. In its first two years, the Initiative has distributed more than $2.5 million in research funding to faculty, academic units, and postdoctoral scholars; welcomed a $35 million gift from Douglas and Diana Berthiaume establishing the Center for Biomedical Discovery; brought Notre Dame's first Glacios 2 cryo-electron microscope to campus and begun construction of new biofabrication and immunoengineering facilities; and built international partnerships. Building on this momentum, BELS aims to lead the Notre Dame campus in foundational bioengineering and life sciences research while catalyzing interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world translation to address pressing societal challenges.

Call for BELS Working Group Proposals

The BELS Initiative invites proposals for faculty-led Working Groups that will explore emerging research areas in bioengineering and the life sciences. These groups will convene interdisciplinary teams of faculty and resources to identify promising directions for future research, recruitment, team science, and translational impact within BELS, with particular attention to opportunities for significant external funding and partnerships. Through the insights and recommendations generated, BELS aims to:

  • Identify areas where Notre Dame can differentiate itself and lead through distinctive strengths and values;
  • Build interdisciplinary bridges across colleges and research centers to amplify collective impact; and
  • Position Notre Dame to attract external partnerships, funding, and top talent aligned with BELS.

Each Working Group should focus on a specific thematic area, with the goal of assessing opportunities for institutional leadership and growth. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following key areas:

  • New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for Human Tissues, Organs, and Organ Systems
  • Drug Discovery, Particularly Aiding Notre Dame's Strengths in Cancer, Rare Diseases, and Neuroscience
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Rare Diseases
  • Cancer
  • Regenerative Medicine & Biofabrication
  • BELS + Other Notre Dame Strategic Framework Initiatives
  • BELS + Clinical Partnerships
  • BELS + Corporate Partnerships
  • BELS + International Partnerships

Eligibility

  • Primary applicants must be full-time Notre Dame faculty.
  • Each Working Group may have a single faculty lead or two faculty co-leads. An individual may serve as lead on only one Working Group proposal.
  • Leads of funded Working Groups will nominate 3 to 6 additional faculty or staff as members of the group.
  • BELS may also appoint a faculty member, staff member, or graduate fellow from an affiliated BELS research center or institute to participate in each funded Working Group.

Key Dates

Milestone Date
Proposals Due December 1, 2026, 5 p.m. ET
Funded Working Groups Announced December 18, 2026
Award Period Begins January 11, 2027
Final Reports and Recommendations Due May 15, 2027

Funding

Selected Working Groups will receive up to $10,000 in funding to support their activities. Funds may be used for meeting expenses such as working lunches, workshops, and external guest speakers (highly encouraged), or other costs associated with convening the group and developing its final report. Budgets may include a discretionary honorarium of up to $1,000 for each Working Group lead. All spending must align with University of Notre Dame guidelines.

Deliverables

At the conclusion of the project, each group will produce a succinct final report summarizing its findings and recommendations for future BELS investments, including faculty recruitment, infrastructure (physical and personnel) investments, partnerships, strategies for securing significant external funding (including specific funding opportunities and proposal development timelines), and other strategic investments to strengthen Notre Dame's leadership in a thematic space. Working Group leads may be invited to present their findings to the BELS Executive Committee.

Beyond This Process

In addition to building new collaborations and positioning Notre Dame for leadership in specific thematic areas, the findings and recommendations of the Working Groups will help inform future strategic priorities and investment decisions by BELS and other parts of the University.

Proposal Requirements

Cover Sheet (1 page max)

  • Title of the Working Group
  • Working Group leads (1 to 2 lead faculty members), including name(s) and department/affiliation
  • Proposed team members (3 to 6 participating faculty members), including name(s) and department/affiliation

Working Group Description (2 page max)

  • Motivation & Rationale: Why this emerging topic is important to explore and how it aligns with the BELS mission.
  • Description of Proposed Activities & Outcomes: Allowable activities include, but are not limited to, monthly Working Group meetings (lunches), broader internal meetings for additional Notre Dame attendees, and external speaker visits.
  • Timeline & Milestones: A schedule of planned activities, including formation of the Working Group and the timeline for writing up findings and recommendations.
  • Dissemination & Advertising: A plan to share the group's activities with the wider BELS community, on and off campus.
  • Success Metrics: Define what success looks like and how it will be measured.

Budget & Budget Justification (1 page max)

  • The total budget request must not exceed $10,000.
  • Budgets may include a discretionary honorarium of up to $1,000 for each Working Group lead.
  • All spending must align with the University's latest guidelines.

Biosketch (1 page max per group member)

  • Typical professional biographical information
  • Key recent publications
  • Key recent external funding grants
  • All internal funding awards in the past 5 years + key outcomes of these awards (note that PIs new to internal funding are encouraged)

All proposal components must be completed with 1 inch margins and 11 point font or larger.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment of the proposed topic with the BELS mission
  • Expertise and topical alignment of the proposed Working Group leads and members
  • Feasibility, clarity, and practicality of proposed activities, timeline, and budget
  • Advancing Notre Dame's global leadership in biomedical research

Conditions of Acceptance

  • Leads of funded Working Groups must affiliate with the BELS Initiative, helping foster an interdisciplinary community of scholars by participating in BELS’ events and activities.
  • Awardees agree to submit a final report outlining their findings and recommendations by May 15, 2027.

Submission Information

Submit via email a single .pdf document, containing the components described above, to bels@nd.edu before 5:00 pm ET on December 1, 2026.

Please direct questions to bels@nd.edu