The Office of Research invites internal applications for the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, due Sept. 9, 2024. Applications may be submitted in InfoReady.
We received several Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the spring and have directed each PI that they must still submit an internal application to be considered for the program. The internal competition is open to all, in addition to those who submitted an EOI.
The MRI Program provides support to acquire or develop critical research instrumentation that advances frontiers in science and engineering research and is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. MRI supports instrumentation across NSF’s Directorates and Divisions and focuses on multi-user/shared instrumentation that often supports research needs across disciplinary boundaries. An MRI-supported instrument is intended to serve multiple users both in research and in the training of the next generation of instrument users, designers, and builders.
- Track 1: Proposals that request funds from NSF greater than $100,000 and less than $1,400,000.
- Track 2: Proposals that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,400,000 up to and including $4,000,000.
- Track 3: Proposals that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000 and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to reduce the consumption of helium.
UCSC may submit up to four proposals, with no more than two in Track 1, one in Track 2, and one in Track 3. Proposals are due to NSF by 5 PM PT on November 15, 2024. If you are intending to propose as a funded collaborator on another institution’s proposal please contact me immediately, as you may be counted against UCSC’s proposal limit and be required to submit to the internal competition.
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Program: Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program: Instrument Acquisition or Development
Solicitation Link: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm
Internal Deadline: 11:59 P.M. PT September 9, 2024
UCSC Contact: Molly McCarthy | Director of Research Development | moamccar@ucsc.edu
Description
The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program provides support to acquire or develop critical research instrumentation that advances frontiers in science and engineering research and is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. MRI supports instrumentation across NSF’s Directorates and Divisions and focuses on multi-user/shared instrumentation that often supports research needs across disciplinary boundaries. An MRI-supported instrument is intended to serve multiple users both in research and in the training of the next generation of instrument users, designers, and builders.
Award Amount and Terms
- Track 1: Track 1 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than $100,000 and less than $1,400,000.
- Track 2: Track 2 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,400,000 up to and including $4,000,000.
- Track 3: Track 3 MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000 and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to reduce the consumption of helium.
- Cost sharing is no longer required or permitted.
- At least 70% of the Total Project Cost of Acquisition proposals must be for equipment.
- Please see solicitation for fields and cost requests that are not supported.
Limits on Number of Proposals
- There are no limits on the number of proposals per PI or Co-PI.
- An organization may submit no more than 4 proposals total, with no more than two submissions in Track 1, no more than one submission in Track 2, and no more than one submission in Track 3.
- NOTE: Inclusion as a funded subawardee on a Development proposal at a level in excess of 20% of the total budget requested from NSF, or as a funded subawardee on any acquisition proposal, will be counted against an organization’s proposal submission limit. Therefore, UCSC PIs intending to propose as collaborators on another institution’s proposal and that fall into the above categories MUST respond to this internal call, regardless of the procedure at the lead campus.
To apply
To be considered for nomination, materials should be submitted to the internal campus competition via InfoReady (https://ucsc.infoready4.com/). After clicking on the competition, select “Apply” on the right-hand side, complete the application form, and upload the following documents (11-point font, 1-inch margins, single spaced):
- Project Description that includes the following sections (2-page maximum):
- Team: Lead PI name and department and the names, departments, and institutions of up to 4 co-PIs.
- Research Instrument: Briefly describe the instrument to be developed or acquired and where it will be located.
- Research Activities: Briefly describe the specific research program(s) and research training activities that will be enabled by the proposed instrumentation. Who will use and benefit from the instrument? Why is the acquisition or development of the instrument required?
- Significance and Impact: Briefly describe how the planned uses of the proposed instrumentation constitute ground-breaking and/or transformative research. What are the broader impacts anticipated to result from its acquisition or development (e.g., improvements to institutions’ research and training capabilities and ability to broaden participation in science and engineering; regional or national impacts on the research community of interest; accessibility by external users; other societally relevant outcomes)?
- Management: Briefly outline how the requested instrumentation will be operated and maintained over the expected lifetime of the instrument. For development proposals, how will the design, construction and commissioning phases of the project be managed?
- Budget Estimate and Justification (1-page maximum):
- Estimated Budget and Justification: Please estimate and briefly explain the costs that will be requested from NSF, including personnel costs, travel, equipment, subawards, supplies, vendors, indirects, or other eligible expenses (see solicitation for information on eligible costs).
- Lead PI resume/biosketch (3-page maximum)
- A signed letter of support from the PI’s dean or chair (as appropriate) that addresses space considerations and other resources that would facilitate successful implementation (1 page maximum).
Timeline
- 11:59 P.M. PST September 9, 2024: Internal submission of nomination materials via UCSC InfoReady. ● Week of September 15, 2024: Nominee selection and notification.
- Between October 16 and 5 P.M. PT November 15, 2024: Submission to NSF.
Special Instructions
If you are selected as a campus nominee, you will need to promptly submit your Start a Proposal Form prior to UCSC’s Internal Institutional Deadlines. Individuals selected to move forward have the responsibility to submit. Please contact Research Development (resdev@ucsc.edu) for proposal support.