Major Research Instrumentation Program  (MRI)    

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 09-1, was issued on October 1, 2008 and is effective for proposals submitted on or after January 5, 2009. Please be advised that the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1 apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.  Proposers who opt to submit prior to January 5^th, 2009, must also follow the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1.

One of the most significant changes to the PAPPG is implementation of the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act.  Each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include, as a separate section within the 15-page project description, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals.  Proposals that do not include a separate section on mentoring activities within the Project Description will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II.C.2.d for further information).

DUE DATES

SYNOPSIS

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, museums and science centers, and non-profit organizations. This program especially seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, by providing shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments.  Development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared inter- and/or intra-organization use is encouraged, as are development efforts that leverage the strengths of private sector partners as appropriate for the goals of the MRI Program. 

To accomplish these goals, the MRI program assists with the acquisition or development of shared research instrumentation that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.  For the purposes of the MRI Program, proposals must be for either acquisition or development.  Instruments are expected to be operational for regular research use by the end of the award period. A key recommendation of a 2006 National Academies report on “Advanced Research Instrumentation and Facilities” (ARIF) was that the NSF should expand the MRI program so that it includes “mid-scale” instrumentation whose capital costs are greater than $2 million, but with costs that are not appropriate for NSF’s Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account.  The MRI program now accepts proposals requesting over $2 million in NSF support (to the maximum request of $4 million) for the acquisition of a single instrument.  For proposals requesting $2 million or less, investigators may seek support for instrument development or for acquisition of a single instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

MRI Engineering Directorate FY 2004 Summary In FY 2004, the Engineering Directorate received 163 MRI proposals. Of these, 72 were awarded, for an overall success rate of 44%. Distribution of the MRI proposals went into one of two separate categories -- based on whether the applicant institution was classified as a "large," PhD-granting school, or as a "small" school, with relatively small or non-existent PhD programs as defined by the Carnegie Institution classification system. The rationale for separating schools in this fashion was because the NSF MRI program received an additional $25 million (as was the case also in FY 2001, FY 2002 and FY 2003) beyond the normal funding for FY 2004, for the express purpose of broadening the national reach of the program. A summary of proposal and funding distribution follows. For more details regarding past awards and ENG personnel involved with MRI, please visit http://www.nsf.gov/eng/mri .

RELATED URLS

OIA's MRI Homepage

Directorate for Engineering MRI Website

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

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