The Office of Research is inviting Notices of Intent (NOIs) from investigators interested in applying for the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program: Instrument Acquisition or Development. Notices of Intent must be submitted through OR’s InfoReady NSF MRI announcement by July 28, 2025. If the number of NOIs exceeds the proposal limits set by NSF, applicants will be asked to complete an internal application, due August 8th, 2025.
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 training the next generation of instrument users and/or developers.
The current tracks and funding limits are as follows:
- 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 14, 2025. If you are intending to propose as a funded collaborator on another institution’s proposal, please contact us immediately, as you may be counted against UCSC’s proposal limit and be required to submit to the internal competition.
See the linked summary for additional information, including internal proposal components. Please note that cost sharing is no longer required or permitted.
Best,
Molly McCarthy, Ph.D.
Director of Research Development, Office of Research
University of California, Santa Cruz
UCSC Limited Submissions grant opportunities
(831) 459-2639