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FAQs: NSF Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF) - Funding Opportunity 11-544 (Archived)

What was the NSF Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF) opportunity?

EAR/IF (Funding Opportunity Number 11-544) was a National Science Foundation program intended to build and strengthen the research infrastructure needed for basic Earth science research and training. It supported high-value instruments, instrumentation development, and shared facilities that directly enabled research on Earth processes within the scope of NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.

Is this funding opportunity currently open?

No. The opportunity is archived. The original closing date was July 26, 2012, and the archive date was December 19, 2014. It is not currently accepting proposals.

What kinds of projects did EAR/IF fund?

The program funded infrastructure investments tied directly to basic research on Earth processes and to research training. This included acquiring or upgrading equipment, developing new instrumentation or software, and supporting shared multi-user facilities that serve the broader Earth science community.

What were the main proposal types under EAR/IF?

The solicitation described four main proposal types: (1) acquisition or upgrade of research equipment; (2) development of new instrumentation, analytical techniques, or software; (3) support for national or regional multi-user facilities; and (4) a track for early career investigators focused on equipment acquisition or upgrades with limited technician support.

How much funding could be requested for equipment acquisition or upgrades?

For acquisition or upgrade of research equipment used in laboratory or field investigations, requests could be as large as $1,000,000. A specific exception applied to upgrades to research-group computing facilities, which were capped at $75,000.

What was the funding limit for instrumentation development or software development projects?

Projects focused on developing new instrumentation, analytical techniques, or software could request up to $1,000,000.

What did NSF mean by national or regional multi-user facilities?

These were complex and expensive instruments or instrument systems intended to be broadly accessible to the wider Earth science research and student communities, rather than serving only a single laboratory or a narrow user group.

What was included in the early career investigator track?

The early career track supported proposals for equipment acquisition or upgrades and allowed budget support for a new full-time technician dedicated to managing the requested instrument(s).

How long could technician support last under the early career option?

Technical support under the early career option was limited to a three-year duration.

What was the maximum overall request under the early career investigator option?

The overall request under the early career option was capped at $1,000,000.

Did proposals need to include research and training plans?

Yes. Across all categories, the requested instruments, software, or facility capabilities had to be justified by clear plans for basic research on Earth processes supported by the Division of Earth Sciences. Infrastructure could not be proposed as an end in itself; it needed to be tightly connected to credible research and training activities.

Was education and human resource development required, or optional?

It was a consistent expectation of the program that human resource development and education would be built into every proposal and not treated as an optional add-on.

Did the program encourage broadening participation activities?

Yes. The solicitation encouraged efforts that increase participation of underrepresented groups in instrument use and training, aligning with NSF goals around broadening participation in STEM.

Could proposals include outreach or broadening participation activities with dedicated funding?

Yes. The opportunity invited proposers to incorporate outreach and/or broadening participation activities and allowed proposals to request up to $20,000 specifically for those activities.

What kinds of activities could the up to $20,000 outreach/broadening participation funding support?

The funds were intended for concrete, organized efforts such as training workshops, outreach programming tied to facility use, or other participation-building activities connected to the instrument or facility being funded.

Were cross-disciplinary proposals allowed if the infrastructure served fields outside Earth sciences?

Yes. Proposals that would serve disciplines outside Earth sciences were not excluded. NSF noted they might be jointly reviewed with other NSF programs, and EAR/IF could consider co-funding with other NSF programs or other agencies when the infrastructure had cross-disciplinary value.

How were awards made under this program?

Support was provided through investigator-initiated proposals, and awards could be made as grants or cooperative agreements depending on the nature and management needs of the project.

What was the estimated total funding level and anticipated number of awards?

The solicitation listed an estimated total funding level of about $7,000,000 and anticipated around 50 awards.

What were the award ceiling and floor listed in the opportunity?

The listing included an award ceiling of $14,000,000 and an award floor of $1. However, the practical ceilings for most applicants were the program-specific caps (such as the $1,000,000 maximum for most proposal types and the $75,000 cap for computing upgrades).

Was cost sharing required?

No. The opportunity stated no cost-sharing requirement.

What was the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?

The opportunity was categorized under science and technology research and development and carried CFDA number 47.050 (Geosciences).

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement.

What was the key requirement for the infrastructure being proposed?

The key requirement was that the instrument, software, or facility capabilities had to directly enable scientifically meaningful basic research on Earth processes within the scope of NSF's Division of Earth Sciences, with credible plans for use in both research and training.