National Science Foundation (NSF)
NSF 18-513 Major Research Instrumentation Program:
Instrument Acquisition or Development
On This Page
- Timeline
- Guidelines
- Eligibility
- Number of applicants
- Amount of funding
- Cost Sharing requirement
- Eligible fields of science and engineering and the medical research restrictions (and exceptions)
- Program purpose/goals
- Program scope
- What they will not fund
- Eligible project costs
- Internal submission guidelines
- Stanford Resources to help with your proposal
Limited $100K-$4M funding opportunity for Stanford faculty with PI eligibility— a university-wide Internal selection process required. See the description below regarding the number of applicants permitted (as it applies to Stanford PIs as lead institution and to PIs who participate as "significantly" funded subawardees). See the Stanford resources >> to help you with your proposal.
The internal selection process for 2017 has been completed. This webpage is for your reference only.
Timeline
Dean of Research internal deadline: 2018 TBA 5 p.m. (see internal submission guidelines below)
Sponsor: Jan. 22, 2019
NSF webpages:
Program
introduction webpage:
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5260
Full program announcement:
https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18513/nsf18513.htm
- Stanford faculty with PI eligibility
- See the “other eligibility criteria FFRDC-related [i.e., SLAC] Proposals” section below >>
- See "eligible fields of science and engineering" and medical research restriction (& exceptions) sections below >>
# of Stanford applicants: 3*
- *If three proposals are submitted, at least one of the proposals must be for instrument development (Track 2) (i.e., no more than two proposals may be for Track 1: instrument acquisition).
- If an organization submits or is included as a partner or subawardee in three proposals, at least one of the three proposals must be for Track 2: instrument development.
- # of subawardees: To ensure a balanced instrumentation award portfolio at diverse organizations, across varied research topics, and in support of a broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce across the entire Nation, the MRI program requires that an MRI-eligible organization may, as a performing organization, submit or be included as a significantly funded* subawardee in no more than three MRI proposals. To promote instrumentation development, the program requires that if an organization submits or is included as a significantly funded* subawardee in three MRI proposals, at least one of the three proposals must be for (Track 2) instrument development.
- *Definition of significantly funded subawardee: An unfunded collaboration does not count against the submission limit. Inclusion as a funded subawardee on a development (Track 2) proposal at a level in excess of 20% of the total budget requested from NSF, or as a funded subawardee on any acquisition (Track 1) proposal, will be counted against an organization's proposal submission limit. Separately submitted linked collaborative proposals of either type (Track 1 or Track 2) count against the submission limit of each of the submitting organizations. However, if a subaward to an organization in a development (Track 2) proposal is 20% or less of the proposal's total budget request from NSF, the subawardee's submission limit will not be affected. For subawards within a linked collaborative proposal, the 20% threshold applies to the budget request from NSF in the proposal containing the subaward(s), not to the combined budget request from NSF for the collaborative project.
- Note: The 30% cost-sharing requirement applies to only the portion of the total project cost budgeted to non-exempt organizations, including those participating through subawards. When required, cost-sharing must be precisely 30%. Cost sharing is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations. Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost-sharing and cannot provide it. National Science Board policy is that voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. See section V.B. for specific information on cost-sharing calculations and the solicitation text for definitions of organizational types used for the MRI program.
Other eligibility criteria:
- FFRDC-related [i.e., SLAC] Proposals (see the guidelines: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15504/nsf15504.htm#elig
Proposals for the acquisition or development of an instrument to be located at a facility of another Federal agency or one of their Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) must be submitted as a consortium proposal by an MRI submission-eligible organization as described in item 3(b) above. The proposal must include the facility/FFRDC (or its managing organization) as a partner in the consortium, even if the role of the FFRDC in the project is solely to house the instrument. The instruments must make unique contributions to the needs of researchers elsewhere or establish access to new multi-user facilities. The current list of FFRDCs can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/. Preliminary inquiry to the cognizant MRI point of contact should be made before preparing a proposal for submission. - Note:if it is for an instrument to be housed at SLAC, then the PI for the proposal must be a Stanford faculty member with a primary appointment in a department on campus. That faculty member must submit an internal proposal, per the internal submission guidelines below, as a “consortium” proposal, with SLAC as a “partner”.
Amount of Funding:
Instrument acquisition or development proposals that request funds from NSF in the range $100,000-$4 million will be accepted from all eligible organizations. Up to 3 years for acquisition proposals; up to 5 years for development proposals.
160 to be awarded (reduced from 175 from previous years).
COST SHARING REQUIREMENT: cost sharing at the level of 30% of the total project cost, not 30% of the amount requested of NSF, is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations.
See the internal submission guidelines at the end of this message which contain instructions for the department chair letter which should acknowledge the department's commitment to find matching funds for the required cost sharing of 30% of total eligible project costs should the internal proposal be nominated. If the proposal is interdisciplinary, please have the letter signed by the co-PI's department chair as well.
ELIGIBLE FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Proposals for instrumentation will be considered for all NSF-supported fields of science, mathematics, and engineering. Researchers using this instrumentation need not be supported by NSF or the Federal government. Proposals will be considered for instrumentation used for NSF-supported fields of science, mathematics, and/or engineering.
MEDICAL RESEARCH RESTRICTION: The program will not provide support for instrumentation to be used in medical education (such as medical school courses). Instrumentation intended for research with disease-related goals, including work on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality, or malfunction in human beings or animals, is normally not supported. Instrumentation for research on animal models of such conditions or the development or testing of drugs or other procedures for their treatment also is not eligible for support.
Exceptions: However, instrumentation for bioengineering research, with diagnosis- or treatment-related goals that applies engineering principles to problems in biology and medicine, while also advancing engineering knowledge, is eligible for support. Instrumentation for bioinformatics, biocomputing and bioengineering research to aid persons with disabilities also is eligible.
Purpose/Goals:
The primary purpose of the MRI program is to facilitate scientific and engineering research and research training through the acquisition or development of a major research instrument. The MRI program does not support requests for general purpose ancillary laboratory equipment or multiple instruments that serve to outfit a laboratory or research environment. The MRI program also does not support the acquisition or development of instrumentation used primarily for science and engineering education courses (this and other uses of the instrumentation may serve to facilitate the broader impacts of the project).
An MRI proposal must conform to the program's primary goals of:
- Supporting the acquisition of a shared major state-of-the-art instrument, thereby improving access to, and increased use of, a modern research and research training instrument by scientists, engineers, and graduate and undergraduate students; OR
- Fostering the development of next generation of major instrumentation, resulting in a new type of instrument that is more widely used, and/or open up new areas of research and research training; AND
- Enabling academic departments, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary units, and organizations and multi-organization collaborations to integrate research with education and thereby enhance research training of the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Program Scope
The MRI program assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation that is, in general, too costly or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. An MRI proposal must be for either the acquisition or development of a single instrument or for equipment that when combined serves as an integrated research instrument.
- a. Instrument Acquisition (Track 1) An acquisition (Track 1) proposal is characterized by a purchase requiring limited personnel and having little risk to complete. An MRI acquisition proposal is characterized by a demonstrated need for the purchase or upgrade of a generally available, yet sophisticated, instrument with little or no modification. MRI does not support the lease of a research instrument. The MRI program does not support requests for general purpose ancillary laboratory equipment or multiple instruments that serve to outfit a laboratory or research environment. An acquisition proposal must meet these guidelines to be considered for MRI support.
- b. Instrument Development (Track 2) A development (Track 2) proposal is characterized by a demonstrated need for a new or extensively upgraded instrument that can provide enhanced or potentially transformative use and performance, open up new areas of research and research training, and/or have potential as a commercial product. "Performance" may include accuracy, reliability, resolving power, throughput speed, sample capacity, flexibility of operation, breadth of application, user-friendliness, and/or new types of measurement or information gathering. MRI development efforts tend to require longer timescales for completion than acquisition efforts, and involve design, construction, testing and commissioning such that the equipment cost may not represent the largest portion of the budget. A development proposal also tends to involve greater risk to complete.
The MRI program will NOT support proposal requests for any of the following:
- Construction, renovation or modernization of rooms, buildings or research facilities - this category refers to the space where sponsored or unsponsored research activities (including research training) occur, whether "bricks-and-mortar", mobile, or virtual;
- Large, specialized experimental facilities that are constructed with significant amounts of common building material using standard building techniques. Instruments in general can be decoupled from the structure or environment that contains them;
- General purpose and supporting equipment; this category includes (but is not limited to) general purpose ancillary computers or laboratory instruments. Supporting equipment refers to basic, durable components of a research facility that are integral to its operation (e.g., fume hoods, elevators, laboratory casework and cryogen storage systems);
- Sustaining infrastructure and/or building systems; this category may include electrical and plumbing systems, routine multi-purpose computer networks, standard safety features, and other general purpose systems (e.g., HVAC, electrical generation and distribution systems, toxic waste removal systems, and telecommunications equipment).
- General purpose platforms or environment; this category may include (but is not limited to) general purpose fixed or non-fixed structures or manned vehicles whose role is to host or transport an instrument.
- Instrumentation used primarily for science and engineering education courses
ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS (REVISED with the NSF 15-504 RFP):
a. Acquisition proposals (Track 1):
Within the Total Project Cost (see Section V.A.6), eligible project costs are limited to the cost of the instrument, installation, commissioning, and calibration, the direct and indirect costs of maintenance, and of appropriate technical support to operate the instrument during the award period. They should be commensurate with the scale and scope of the instrumentation. Salary support, including fringe benefits and indirect costs, is considered an eligible cost only for personnel directly involved in maintaining the instrument or providing appropriate technical support to operate the instrument. Any proposal including students or post-doctoral associates in operations and maintenance should justify the involvement in terms of both instrument needs and the training the next generation of instrumentalists. Reviewers may be asked to evaluate the appropriateness of this type of involvement.
At least 70% of the Total Project Cost must consist of items that can be included on the Equipment line of the NSF budget form, (Line D). Institutions that are subject to the cost-sharing requirement may only include entries on Line D and Line M of the NSF budget forms (i.e. funds requested from NSF can only be for items included on Line D) and should not include subawards. Institutions not subject to the cost sharing requirement must include at least 70% of the funds requested from NSF on Line D of the budget forms.
b. Development proposals (Track 2):
Within the Total Project Cost (see Section V.A.6), eligible project costs are limited to parts and materials needed for the construction of the instrument, commissioning costs, and the direct and indirect costs associated with support of personnel engaged strictly in the instrument development effort. Requests for personnel support must include a description of the responsibilities of the individuals involved and explain why a given position is necessary for the completion of the design, construction and commissioning of the new instrument. Any proposal requesting direct student support in development efforts must justify the involvement in terms of both project needs and training the next generation of instrumentalists. Reviewers may be asked to evaluate the appropriateness of this type of involvement. Sufficient detail should be given to allow reviewers to analyze the cost of the new technology. Support for research, research training, or education to be conducted using the instrument after commissioning, along with operations and maintenance, is not allowed. Travel costs that are integral to the development work are eligible expenses. Publication costs associated with the dissemination of information about the design and capabilities of the instrument are eligible costs.
STANFORD INTERNAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
By TBA 2018, 5 p.m., please submit one PDF file of the following (specifying whether for instrument development or acquisition proposal), of the following to:
Jeanne Heschele
Limited submission program coordinator-Dean of Research Office
Funding Opportunity Administrator-Research Management Group
jheschele@stanford.edu
650-245-2351
PDF file name format: Last name_NSF_MRI.pdf
You do not have to submit your internal proposals through your institutional representatives (RPM/RMG or OSR contract officers) for their approval. You can submit them directly to Jeanne.
1) Cover page:
a) Include RFA title: NSF 15-504 Major Research Instrumentation Program
b) Indicate one:
Track 1: Instrument Acquisition
Track: 2: Instrument Development
c) Project title (which should identify the scientific discipline(s) for which the instrumentation is requested, should convey the primary purpose of the proposal., e.g., "Acquisition of ________" or "Development of ______" and should specify if the proposal is being submitted by a consortium.
d) Names, departments, addresses and email addresses for each PI**
e) estimated total project costs
**Note-:
the # of applicants also applies to Stanford PIs who are subawardees. If that is the case, the cover page must list the lead institution PI name and contact information and the contact information for the Co-PI: the Stanford faculty member (subawardee).
2) Department Chair letter- this letter should acknowledge the department's commitment to find matching funds for the required cost sharing of 30% of total eligible project costs should the internal proposal be nominated. If the proposal is interdisciplinary, please have the letter signed by the co-PI's department chair as well.
If the Stanford faculty member is participating as a significantly funded subawardee (see the subawardee section above), then the letter must acknowledge the department's commitment to find matching funds for the required cost sharing.
3) (Limit: 2 pages) The Project Summary:
(Format: one sided, single spaced, Arial or Helvetica font size: 11)
a) Describe the proposed major research instrumentation, the type of research/research training conducted, and the activity that would result if NSF funds the project. Where multiple schools are involved, please include a statement describing how the jointly-submitted project will be administered. Please describe existing or pending resources to support the use of the instrumentation.
b) For proposals requesting over $1 million: should address the potential impact of the instrument on the research community of interest and at the regional or national level when appropriate. For large multi-user instruments that provide service beyond a single institution, concrete plans for enabling access by external users (including those from non-Ph.D. and/or minority-serving institutions) through physical access and/or cyberinfrastructure should be presented, and the uniqueness of the requested instrumentation should also be described.
4) Biosketch for each PI and Co-PI
5) Other support (include current and pending)
Selection process:
The Dean of Research Office internal review committee will select the three applicants to represent the university. The sponsor's deadline is Jan. 10, 2018.
STANFORD RESOURCES TO HELP REGARDING YOUR PROPOSAL:
Instrumentation Resources:
In order for Stanford University to make best use of its resources and to comply with federal regulations, best practices on major instrumentation acquisition are offered as guidelines to help support the research mission of the departments, labs, and schools through the university.
- The Department Property Administrator (DPA) is a key resource to use in searching for currently available, similar equipment. The DPA can search using a tool within Sunflower made for this purpose. This person may not have the scientific expertise to identify all closely related equipment. DPA contact information >>
- Property Management Office (PMO) is also available to provide lists of like-equipment early in the proposal preparation process. PMO contact information >>
- Service Centers are a key resource for identifying existing, available equipment. These centers can help provide expertise in selecting appropriate equipment for the science and the differences between different manufacturers and models. They often know who has similar instrumentation in labs:
- You are encouraged to discuss shared facility, service center, core facility resources with Bruce Koch, Senior Director, Discovery and Technological Service Centers, Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Research at bruce.koch@stanford.edu.
- Independent Lab faculty and staff may contact Ken Merritt, Manager, Research Administration Compliance, in the Vice Provost and Dean of Research Office for assistance at kmerritt@stanford.edu.
- School of Medicine/Spectrum webpage "Enabling Technologies" (includes links to shared facilities) http://spectrum.stanford.edu/page_listings/enabling-technologies
- School of Medicine Service Centers links: http://corefacilities.stanford.edu/
- DoResearch Shared Facility webpage: http://doresearch.stanford.edu/research-scholarship/shared-facilities
- You are encouraged to discuss shared facility, service center, core facility resources with Bruce Koch, Senior Director, Discovery and Technological Service Centers, Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Research at bruce.koch@stanford.edu.
