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FAQs: NSF Chemical Measurement and Imaging (PD 09-6880)

What is the NSF Chemical Measurement and Imaging program (PD 09-6880)?

It is an NSF program that funds fundamental research to advance the science of chemical measurement and chemical imaging. The focus is on improving how chemical information is measured, visualized, and interpreted, either by deepening understanding of existing approaches or by creating new measurement concepts, instruments, and analytical strategies.

What is the central goal of this program?

The central goal is to improve the measurement, visualization, and interpretation of chemical information. Competitive projects typically go beyond routine improvements and aim for new scientific understanding of measurement/imaging methods or truly innovative extensions that expand where and how a method can be used.

What kinds of research does the program support?

The program supports fundamental measurement science and chemical imaging research that reveals chemical properties and chemical processes (not just physical structure). This includes efforts to create or significantly advance tools, platforms, and analysis methods used to obtain chemical information.

What does NSF mean by “chemical measurement” and “chemical imaging” in this context?

In this program, chemical measurement and imaging are about obtaining information tied to chemical properties, composition, reactions, chemical processes, or electronic/chemical events. The emphasis is on chemical meaning, rather than imaging that primarily captures physical shape, morphology, or structure without chemical specificity.

What length scales are relevant for projects in this program?

The program spans many length scales, from bulk materials and macroscopic structures down to nanoscale features and even single molecules, as long as the work advances chemical measurement or chemical imaging capabilities.

Does the program emphasize time resolution or dynamics?

Yes. It emphasizes capabilities that can capture fast chemical or electronic events, where improvements in time resolution, sensitivity, selectivity, and quantitative reliability can be decisive.

What topic areas are considered a good fit?

Examples of topics that fit well include sampling and separation science, electrochemistry, spectrometry, frequency- and time-domain spectroscopy, sensors and bioassays, microscopy, and broader chemical imaging platforms.

Are data analysis and interpretation projects supported?

Yes, particularly when tightly coupled to measurement science. The program welcomes innovations in data analysis and interpretation, including chemometrics and other advanced approaches that extract more reliable chemical meaning from complex datasets.

How “innovative” does a proposal need to be if it builds on an established technique?

Proposals that build on established techniques are generally expected to go beyond incremental optimization. They should either uncover new scientific understanding of the technique itself or introduce a genuinely innovative extension that substantially broadens applicability or capability.

What is NSF looking for in sensor-focused projects?

For sensor-focused projects, NSF is looking for new science or fundamentally new sensing concepts with broad utility and a clear step-change over current capabilities.

Are proposals that assemble sensor arrays using known mechanisms a good fit?

Typically no. Projects that mainly assemble arrays of devices using known sensing mechanisms, or that simply adapt known sensing methods to a specific application, are generally considered a better fit for other programs.

How does the program view microfluidics and “lab-on-a-chip” development?

Proposals centered on engineering design and applied development of microfluidics or “lab-on-a-chip” technologies are generally directed to other programs unless the work is driven by a clearly novel chemical measurement principle.

Does the program fund imaging contrast agent development?

No. The program does not support development of imaging contrast agents.

Can the program support new chemical imaging mechanisms?

Yes. While it does not support contrast agent development, it can support projects that introduce entirely new mechanisms for chemical imaging.

What are “instrumentation-driven” proposals in this program?

A notable pathway is for proposals whose primary objective is to develop new instruments enabling chemical measurements that are likely to be broadly useful to the chemistry research community. This includes efforts that historically might have been submitted to the CRIFID program.

How should an instrument development proposal be titled?

Investigators are expected to begin the proposal title with “Instrument Development” for instrumentation-driven submissions that are framed explicitly as instrument development efforts.

What should be included in the project description for an instrument development submission?

The project description should lay out a credible development timeline, describe the instrument’s potential utility, and discuss how the concept could be disseminated or adopted by others if it proves viable.

What do reviewers tend to focus on for instrument development projects?

Reviewers tend to look closely at practical feasibility and community impact, not just novelty, for instrumentation-driven proposals.

Is there guidance on when a project might fit better in NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program?

Yes. Requests involving large equipment needs (typically above $150,000) may be more appropriate for the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. Investigators are encouraged to discuss such cases with a program officer before submitting.

What if the main impact of the measurement or imaging capability is expected in a different research community (such as biology)?

If the primary impact is expected to be in another research community, NSF suggests directing the proposal to a more appropriate program in another Directorate or to MRI, depending on the nature of the work and needs.

Are projects that mainly apply established methods to a specific end-use case a good fit?

Generally no. Projects that mainly focus on applying established methods to a specific end-use case, rather than advancing underlying measurement science, are encouraged to go to application-focused programs.

What type of NSF funding opportunity is this?

It is described as a discretionary NSF grant opportunity within the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) directorate, with CFDA 47.049 referenced in the opportunity description.

Is cost sharing required?

No cost sharing is required, based on the provided opportunity information.

About how many awards are expected?

The opportunity summary indicates an expected award volume on the order of about 50 awards.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, subject to any additional clarifications NSF provides in the solicitation text.

Are there known submission windows or deadlines?

The program historically operated with recurring CHE submission windows (with examples across multiple years). The archived record notes a closing window around early November 2015 and an archive date in 2019, which indicates you should verify current solicitation status and deadlines on NSF’s active program pages before preparing a submission.

How should applicants handle the fact that the record appears archived?

Because the record references an older closing window and an archive date, applicants should confirm that the program is currently accepting proposals and use the most current NSF guidance and deadlines from active NSF program pages.

Is there an NSF emphasis area related to sustainable chemistry mentioned for this opportunity?

Yes. The solicitation flags an NSF emphasis area in sustainable chemistry (Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials).

How should a proposal be labeled if it has a significant sustainable chemistry component?

If the project has a significant sustainable chemistry component, NSF encourages submitting it to this program while labeling the proposal title with the prefix “SusChEM:” followed by the proposal name, consistent with NSF guidance for the Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials emphasis area.

Is industrial collaboration encouraged?

Yes. Industrial collaboration is encouraged when it helps disseminate new measurement or instrumentation ideas, including through mechanisms like GOALI.

What if the project is close to commercialization?

Projects that are close to commercialization are generally better aligned with NSF’s SBIR or STTR programs rather than a fundamental research grant under this program.

Should applicants contact an NSF program officer in certain cases?

Yes. The provided guidance specifically encourages discussing cases with large equipment needs (typically above $150,000) with a program officer before submitting, especially when MRI may be a better fit.