Subject: NSF MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM Date: 29. September 1999 11:46 INTERNAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15, 1999 NSF DEADLINE: JANUARY 18, 2000 (LIMIT OF 3 PROPOSALS / FASTLANE SUBMISSION REQUIRED) NSF has issued the solicitation for the MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION (MRI) PROGRAM. The MRI Program assists in the ACQUISITION OF OR DEVELOPMENT OF major research instrumentation by U.S. institutions. The maintenance and technical support associated with these instruments will also be supported. Proposals may be for a single instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus. Computer systems, clusters of advanced workstations, networks, and other information infrastructure components necessary for research are encouraged. The MRI Program complements other NSF instrumentation programs by supporting projects that are generally too costly for other programs to fund. Awards for instrumentation range from $100,000 to $2 million. Lesser amounts are considered in proposals from non-Ph.D. granting institutions, from the mathematical sciences community, or from the social, behavioral and economic science communities. Proposals will be considered for instrumentation used for any NSF-supported field of science, mathematics, and engineering. The research activities using this instrumentation need not be supported by NSF or the Federal government. Proposals must be for the acquisition or development of new instrumentation for research and research training. The program DOES NOT FUND renovation or modernization of research facilities or fixed equipment. Proposals that are pending in another NSF instrumentation program will not be reviewed by the MRI Program. Cost sharing at a level of 30% of total eligible project costs is required. The cost sharing may come from any non-Federal source and may be in cash or in kind. Manufacturers' discounts are encouraged for reducing total project costs, but are not considered to be eligible institutional cost sharing. An institution may submit only TWO proposals for instrument acquisition or development, plus a THIRD solely for instrument development. In addition, an institution may be included as a member of a consortium submitting a separate proposal. Small businesses are eligible for instrument development support as private sector partners with submitting universities. The deadline for submission of proposals is 5:00 pm, JANUARY 18, 2000 and proposals MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY USING FASTLANE. Because of the restriction on the number of proposals allowed per institution, it may be necessary to conduct an internal selection. All departments/programs that wish to be considered as one of the University's designated applicants should prepare a memorandum containing a description of the instrumentation, a discussion of its importance to the future of the department/program, a list of faculty who will use the item(s) and a budget. If the department or PI has resources available to meet the matching requirement, either fully or partially, that information should be noted. One of the considerations identified by NSF as a factor in award decisions for instrument development proposals is the inclusion of a private sector partner(s). Departments should mention in the memo to ORPA if such a partnership exists or is anticipated. In order to accommodate the internal review process, you are asked to submit the memo to me no later than NOVEMBER 15, 1999. I will then coordinate a review by the Provost and the Academic Planning Group; they will consider the materials submitted and select the projects which will go forward to NSF. The complete MRI announcement contains pertinent information regarding program scope, eligible project costs, and evaluation criteria. It is available on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf99168. If you have any questions about this program or the selection process, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.