This grant provides partial support for a consensus study and subsequent report by the National Academy of Sciences on the microbiology of the built environment. An ad hoc committee of approximately 12 to 14 experts representing various disciplinary and sectoral perspectives will oversee this 20?month project that will include staff from the National Research Council (NRC), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and National Academy of Engineering (NAE).  The consensus study will begin with a fact?finding workshop that will bring together key stakeholder communities. The committee will use the information from the workshop as well as from the published literature and other sources to develop their report. They will meet four or five times to gather information and to deliberate about the knowledge gaps identified and the development of a prioritized research plan to address these gaps. The result of the study will be a consensus report that documents the state of knowledge on the microbiome/built environment interface, identifies knowledge gaps, and sets out a list of prioritized areas for future research to address these gaps. The report will be available at no cost as a PDF file on the National Academies’ website. The National Academies plan to disseminate the report’s findings through briefings to the public, sponsors, and professional societies as well as through commentaries, op?ed pieces, and podcasts.