Major Research Instrumentation Program | 23 519

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 519

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program is a grant opportunity designed to expand access to shared, multi-user scientific and engineering instruments that are essential for research and research training in the United States. The program focuses on instruments that are typically too expensive or not well suited for support through standard NSF research awards. MRI funding is meant to remove a major barrier to scientific progress by enabling institutions to obtain or build critical instrumentation that can unlock new experiments, measurements, and capabilities that would otherwise be out of reach. In addition to supporting research outcomes, the program places strong emphasis on research training, with the expectation that students and trainees will gain hands-on experience as the next generation of instrument users, designers, and builders.

MRI awards support two main types of projects. The first is instrument acquisition, where an institution purchases a commercially available instrument directly from a vendor for use by multiple researchers. The second is instrument development, where funds cover the personnel effort and equipment needed to create or significantly enhance an instrument that delivers new capabilities. This development pathway is intended to push beyond what is currently available on the market and strengthen institutional expertise in instrument design, fabrication, and advanced technical innovation. Across both acquisition and development proposals, the instrument must be positioned as a shared resource with a clear plan for broad, multi-user access and a strong justification for how it will advance fundamental science and engineering.

Funding requests to NSF can be as high as $4 million per proposal, and the competition is organized into three tracks based on the amount requested and, in one case, a specific conservation purpose. Track 1 covers requests greater than $100,000 and less than $1.4 million, while Track 2 covers requests from $1.4 million up to and including $4 million. Track 3 is a special category for proposals from $100,000 up to $4 million that specifically include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment or instrumentation that conserves or reduces helium consumption; this reflects the importance of helium as a constrained resource in many research areas. There is also a limited exception allowing Track 1 requests below $100,000, but only for certain cases: instrumentation supporting research in mathematics or the social, behavioral, and economic sciences at eligible organizations, or proposals from non-PhD-granting institutions for instrumentation in any NSF-supported discipline.

The program also sets institutional submission limits. Each eligible performing organization may submit no more than two Track 1 proposals and no more than one Track 2 proposal per competition. For Track 3, an institution may submit no more than one proposal per competition, and submitting a Track 3 proposal does not reduce or otherwise affect the Track 1 and Track 2 limits. With these rules combined, an institution can submit up to four MRI proposals in a single competition cycle, as long as it stays within the per-track caps.

A notable feature of the current MRI structure is that cost sharing for new MRI awards has been waived for a five-year period beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition. This waiver reduces the financial barrier for institutions that might otherwise struggle to provide matching funds, while still maintaining the program’s submission limits and competitiveness.

Eligibility to submit is restricted to U.S.-based organizations and must be handled at the organizational level (not by individuals applying independently). Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. institutions of higher education (both PhD-granting and non-PhD-granting) applying on behalf of their faculty, as well as domestic U.S. not-for-profit, non-degree-granting organizations that conduct significant research activities, such as museums, science centers, observatories, and research laboratories, provided they have an independent administrative structure in the U.S. and 501(c)(3) status. The program also welcomes consortium proposals to broaden access to unique instruments and encourage cross-institutional sharing. Consortia can apply either through a legally incorporated, nonprofit consortium entity with its own U.S.-based administrative structure and 501(c)(3) status, or through a submission-eligible lead organization proposing on behalf of a consortium that includes lead investigators from at least two eligible organizations. Consortium proposals may also include partner organizations that are not themselves eligible to submit.

While for-profit companies cannot apply directly to MRI, they can participate meaningfully as subcontractors or subawardees, particularly in instrument development efforts where private-sector technical expertise is valuable. These partnerships are expected to be substantive and designed to build instrument-development capacity within the eligible academic or nonprofit institution(s). Importantly, ownership of the resulting instrument is expected to remain with the MRI-eligible performing organization(s), reinforcing the program’s emphasis on shared research infrastructure for broad academic and nonprofit use.

Beyond the technical and infrastructure goals, MRI explicitly encourages participation and benefits for groups and regions that have been historically underrepresented in STEM. The solicitation highlights interest in proposals that broaden representation across institutions and geographies, including proposals involving women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and early-career principal investigators. It also encourages projects that benefit early-career researchers and those located in geographically underserved regions, including EPSCoR jurisdictions. Under-resourced and emerging research institutions are specifically encouraged to apply when an MRI award would materially strengthen research capacity and access to advanced instrumentation.

Key opportunity details include that this is an NSF discretionary grant program focused on science and technology research and development, with an award ceiling of $4,000,000. The opportunity is associated with Funding Opportunity Number 23-519, and the listed closing date in the provided information is 2024-11-15.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Major Research Instrumentation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-11-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 23 519

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