The FY 2028 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities Memorandum signals an important shift in how federal agencies are expected to prioritize research funding. For researchers in the biological and health research portfolio, the key is to emphasize the foundational biological science underlying the work whenever that description accurately reflects the research.
Watch: New Language for FY 2028 R&D Priorities
For a quick overview of what this shift means for your research proposals, watch our brief microlearning video. It explains how to emphasize foundational biological sciences, provides examples of language to consider, and offers practical tips for accurately describing your research in alignment with FY 2028 federal priorities.
Watch the Microlearning Video:
Lead with the Foundational Science
Rather than relying on the broad term “life sciences,” proposals should consider using “biological sciences” or identifying the specific foundational discipline involved. Priority disciplines highlighted in the guidance include molecular, cellular, and structural biology; biochemistry and chemical biology; genetics and genomics; synthetic and engineering biology; neuroscience; microbiology; and quantitative biology.
For many researchers, this does not mean changing the research itself. Instead, it means describing the work in language that accurately highlights its biological science foundation.
Consider These Language Shifts
- Life Sciences → Biological sciences
- Alzheimer’s Research → Neuroscience and the neural basis of cognition and behavior, applied to neurodegeneration
- Cancer Research → Genetics, genomics, and molecular biology, applied to oncology
- Healthy Aging → Cellular and molecular biology of aging
- Drug Development → Biochemistry and chemical biology; mechanism of action
- Microbiome Research → Microbiology; host-pathogen molecular biology
- Bioengineering → Synthetic and engineering biology
Proposal Tips
1. Lead with the discipline, not the disease.
Disease and patient impact remain important, but they should help explain why the science matters rather than define the project.
2. Pay attention to your verbs.
Words such as investigate, characterize, determine, and elucidate emphasize foundational research. Terms such as develop, deploy, scale, optimize, and validate can suggest later-stage work that may require additional justification for federal funding.
Important Reminder: This guidance is about accurately describing research, not changing its nature. Research should always be characterized in a way that reflects the work actually being conducted.
Key Takeaway
As you prepare proposals, focus on precision, not changing the science. Lead with the foundational biological discipline when it accurately reflects your work, and use language that clearly communicates the nature of the research. Small changes in how you describe your research can help strengthen alignment with current federal funding priorities.