Leveraging Innovations From Evolution (LIFE)

Biological systems provide a vast and largely untapped source of solutions to recurring challenges across environments and scales. Advances in computing and genomics have revolutionized biological systematics, leading to unprecedented understanding of how such adaptations have evolved. However, mechanistic insights from molecular biology are needed to enable translation of evolutionary innovation into viable biotech applications. The LIFE program seeks to expand this frontier by encouraging bold, integrative research that unites comparative and evolutionary perspectives with molecular and developmental approaches to reveal how distinct mechanisms and pathways generate functional solutions across diverse organisms. 

Emerging biotechnology and AI are transforming how biological discovery occurs, enabling scalable pattern detection, model building, and hypothesis testing across species and scales. By advancing foundational knowledge about how complex living systems function and adapt, the program aims to catalyze future innovations in biotechnology, bio-inspired engineering, and the broader bioeconomy to expand our ability to infer mechanisms of biological resilience, performance, and constraint. Building these capabilities will strengthen the research ecosystem and position the United States to lead in biotechnological innovation and bio-inspired discovery.