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NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program (Funding Opportunity Number 13-517) FAQs

1) What is the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program?

The NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program is a grant program intended to expand access to major, shared scientific and engineering instruments used for research and research training. It is designed to help institutions acquire or build high-end instruments that may be too expensive, too specialized, or otherwise not a good fit for support through other NSF programs.

2) What is the main goal of the MRI Program?

The core purpose is to strengthen the quality of research and education by enabling institutions to obtain or develop major research instruments that support both research activity and the training of students and researchers, particularly in research-intensive learning environments.

3) What kinds of outcomes does NSF expect from an MRI award?

Proposals are expected to result in an instrument that is fully operational for regular research use by the end of the award period. The program emphasizes near-term, practical impact on research and research training, rather than indefinite or open-ended equipment efforts.

4) Is shared use required for MRI-funded instruments?

Yes. A key expectation is that the instrument will support shared use and be integrated into research-intensive learning environments, benefiting multiple users and contributing to both research and research training.

5) What are the two MRI proposal tracks?

MRI proposals must be submitted under one of two tracks:

• Track 1: Acquisition of a single major research instrument.
• Track 2: Development of a single instrument, including advancing instrument capability or creating new instrumentation.

6) Do I have to choose a track when applying?

Yes. Each proposal must choose one of the two tracks (Track 1 acquisition or Track 2 development).

7) Does MRI fund more than one instrument in a single proposal?

No. NSF emphasizes that MRI is about one instrument per proposal. This can be a single piece of equipment or a set of components that together function as one integrated instrument.

8) What does NSF mean by “one instrument”?

One instrument may be either a single piece of equipment or a set of components that operate together as one integrated instrument. The program does not support proposals that are essentially collections of unrelated items.

9) Are “shopping list” proposals allowed?

No. The program does not fund proposals that are essentially shopping lists, such as multiple separate instruments purchased to generally equip a lab or facility.

10) Does MRI fund suites of instruments?

No. MRI does not fund suites of instruments that would be used for independent projects at the same time (in other words, multiple separate instruments operating in parallel for unrelated or independent uses).

11) What types of partnerships does NSF encourage for Track 2 (development) proposals?

For development proposals, NSF encourages partnerships that leverage private-sector strengths, especially when collaborations help build instrument development capacity at institutions that are eligible to submit MRI proposals.

12) How much funding can be requested from NSF under MRI?

Funding request levels generally range from $100,000 up to $4,000,000 from NSF. The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $4,000,000.

13) Are requests below $100,000 allowed?

There is a limited allowance for requests below $100,000, but only in specific situations:

• Projects in mathematics or in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences may be considered below $100,000.
• Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education may also submit below $100,000 across NSF-supported disciplines.

14) Does the $100,000 to $4,000,000 request range apply to all eligible organizations?

Yes. The stated general request range applies to any MRI-eligible organization, with limited exceptions allowing requests below $100,000 in specific cases.

15) What are the MRI cost-sharing requirements?

Cost sharing is described as a major compliance point for MRI:

• Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and non-degree-granting organizations must provide cost sharing equal to exactly 30 percent of the total project cost.
• Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost sharing and are not allowed to include it.

16) If cost sharing is required, can an applicant provide more than the required amount?

No. NSF notes that voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited under National Science Board policy. Applicants should not propose extra cost share beyond what the solicitation explicitly requires, and where cost sharing is required, it must be precisely the required amount.

17) If an organization is exempt from cost sharing, can it include cost sharing anyway?

No. Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost sharing and are explicitly not allowed to include it.

18) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this MRI listing?

The Funding Opportunity Number provided is 13-517, and applicants are directed to consult the full solicitation text (NSF Publication 13-517) for definitions and exact organizational categories.

19) What kind of grant program is this?

This opportunity is described as an NSF discretionary grant program in the science and technology and other research and development category.

20) Which NSF disciplinary areas does the MRI Program cover in this listing?

The listing spans many NSF disciplinary areas and references multiple CFDA numbers, including: engineering; mathematical and physical sciences; geosciences; computer and information science and engineering; biological sciences; social and behavioral sciences; education; polar programs; international science; cyberinfrastructure; and EPSCoR.

21) How much total funding and how many awards were estimated in the archived listing?

The archived listing indicates an estimated total funding level of $90,000,000 and an expected number of awards of around 175.

22) What were the proposal deadlines listed in this notice?

The notice states that full proposals were due on specific dates in 2013 and 2014, and then on the fourth Thursday in January annually thereafter.

23) Is this particular opportunity record current?

No. The opportunity record provided is marked as archived, with an archive date of August 13, 2014.

24) Where should applicants look for eligibility definitions and official organizational categories?

Applicants are directed to consult the full solicitation text, NSF Publication 13-517, for eligibility definitions and the exact organizational categories used by the MRI Program.