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NSF-23-519: NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

Slots: The NSF MRI program is an institutionally limited funding opportunity. Eligible institutions may submit up to 4 proposals total (no more than two in Track 1, no more than one in Track 2, and no more than one in Track 3).

  • Track 1: Proposals that request total funds from NSF between $100,000 and $1,000,000.
  • Track 2: Proposals that request total funds from NSF between $1,000,000 and $4,000,000.
  • Track 3: MRI proposals are those that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,0001 and less than or equal to $4,000,000 that include the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to conserve or reduce the consumption of helium. Institutions may submit no more than one Track 3 proposal. Submission of a Track 3 proposal does not impact limits that apply for Track 1 and Track 2 proposals.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 5pm PT

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: Submission Window is October 16 through November 15, 2023

Recurring Deadlines: November 15, 2024; November 14, 2025; November 16, 2026.

Award Information

Award Type: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 150

Anticipated Award Amount: $75,000,000

Who May Serve as PI: Applicants to the NSF MRI program must be full-time faculty at USC; visiting and adjunct faculty are not eligible. The program especially seeks broad representation of PIs, including women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. Since demographic diversity may be greater among early career researchers, the program also encourages proposals by early career PIs and those that benefit early career researchers.

As this is a limited submission competition, all proposals must be submitted for review by Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) for selection of final candidates.

Link to Award: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm

Cost Sharing: Cost sharing requirements for new awards in the MRI Program are waived for a period of 5 years beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition. Institutional submission limits for Track 1, Track 2 and Track 3 proposals remain.

Purpose

The goal of the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program is to increase access to shared-use/multi-user instrumentation for scientific and engineering research and training. NSF MRI awards are intended to be a capacity-building program and to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers, and builders.  The program supports three different types of proposals, as described here: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23519/nsf23519.htm.

Internal Proposal Review Process: The internal NSF MRI proposals will be reviewed by faculty and relevant Research and Innovation staff, who will provide reviews to the proposers and a prioritized list of recommendations to the Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation.

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application through the “NSF MRI” link listed under “Institutionally Limited External Competitions” through https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Regarding the Proposal template, please use the template provided here.

PROPOSAL COMPONENTS

Cover page information (to be filled out on-line)

  1. Principal Investigator contact information and 10-digit USC ID number;
  2. Proposal title and type;
  3. Brief description (not to exceed 60 words): A succinct description of the proposed work.
  4. Instrument/dataset/repository name and manufacturer/provider;
  5. Link to instrument website and cost of instrument;
  6. Link to external sponsor Request for Proposals (as applicable);
  7. Core information name, URL, Core Director, and Core Manager contact information and 10-digit USC ID number (as applicable);
  8. Co-PI information and 10-digit USC ID number (as applicable).

Sections to be uploaded: It is requested that applicants follow instructions carefully and do not submit additional materials not requested by this RFP. Information that is uploaded beyond what is requested will not be included in the proposal package provided to reviewers. Please upload each of the sections below as PDF documents.

  • Abstract: (not to exceed 20 lines of text) A stand-alone succinct description of the proposed work.
  • Proposal Narrative: (not to exceed 2 pages) (0.5” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Please use the template provided here.
  • Manufacturer Quote
  • List of Core Users: provide the name and email address of at least 5 expected users of the proposed equipment/dataset/repository.
  • References: (not to exceed one page)
  • Letter(s) of Support: Provide a letter of support from the unit(s) that has(have) committed to ongoing maintenance and operation of the requested equipment.
  • Curriculum Vitae: (not to exceed 5 pages): Provide a brief CV or biosketch of the PI (and Co-PI, as applicable).

Note: The portal requires information about the PI in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

For questions about the application submission process, please contact Mike Yarsky at rii@usc.edu.

Good luck on your proposal application!

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.