The National Science Foundation awarded a $2,178,564 project grant to the Regents of the University of Michigan under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074) to support research seeking to understand the minimal requirements for sustainable and tunable cell cycles in synthetic cells. Over a four-year period ending in May 2026, the University of Michigan will reconstitute and investigate minimal cell-cycle clock systems in synthetic cells to advance understanding of cellular oscillations. The research is expected to provide insights into the minimal network topology requirements responsible for desired cell-cycle performance and response to environmental perturbations. Broader impacts include early exposure of underrepresented students to frontier research and dissemination of scientific findings to the public through collaborations with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.