Major Research Instrumentation Program — U.S. National Science Foundation funding opportunity
U.S. National Science Foundation · Federal agency

Major Research Instrumentation Program

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, and not-for...

71
match
Award Up to $4M Deadline Fixed Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Open posted Nov 23, 2012
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details).
  • Funding amount: up to $4,000,000 (total pool ~$90,000,000).
  • Issued by: U.S. National Science Foundation.
Sign in to generate AI summary
How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Award amount
Up to $4M
Deadline
Fixed
Total pool
$90M

About this opportunity

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, and not-for-profit museums, science centers and scientific/engineering research organizations. This program especially seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, by supporting proposals for shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments. Each MRI proposal may request support for the acquisition (Track 1) or development (Track 2) of a single research instrument for shared inter- and/or intra-organizational use; development efforts that leverage the strengths of private sector partners to build instrument development capacity at MRI submission-eligible organizations are encouraged.To accomplish the program's goals, the MRI program assists with the acquisition or development of a shared research instrument that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. The instrument is expected to be operational for regular research use by the end of the award period. For the purposes of the MRI program, a proposal must be for either acquisition (Track 1) or development (Track 2) of a single instrument or for equipment that, when combined, serves as an integrated research instrument (in contrast to requests for multiple instruments that enable research in a common or focused research domain, which MRI does not support). The MRI program does not support the acquisition or development of a suite of instruments to outfit research laboratories/facilities or that will be used to conduct independent research activities simultaneously. Instrument acquisition or development proposals that request funds from NSF in the range $100,000-$4 million may be accepted from any MRI-eligible organization. Proposals that request funds from NSF less than $100,000 may also be accepted from any MRI-eligible organization for the disciplines of mathematics or social, behavioral and economic sciences and from non- -granting institutions of higher education for all NSF-supported disciplines. Cost-sharing of precisely 30% of the total project cost is required for -granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations. Non- -granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost-sharing and cannot include it. National Science Board policy is that voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.Please see the solicitation text for definitions of organizational types used by the MRI program.

Funding agency

U.S. National Science Foundation
Federal agency

Tags

Arts & Culture Education & Research Construction & Housing Climate & Environment Transportation & Logistics Science, Tech & Engineering (STEM)
Want help applying?

Our specialists will check your eligibility, prepare the application, and walk you through every step — for free. Create a free account →

Who can apply

Eligibility details aren't on file yet — check the agency source link in the Documents tab for the latest rules.

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia

How to apply

We don't have application instructions on file yet — head straight to the official source.

Apply on agency site
Tip from our team:

Read the agency's eligibility checklist before you start — it's almost always shorter than the full NOFO and will tell you in 90 seconds whether to keep going.

Need help getting in touch with the right agency contact?

Create a free account and our specialists will guide you through the application end-to-end.

Source documents

View on agency site
Canonical NOFO, application packet, and forms
No supplemental documents yet.

Direct downloads (NOFO PDFs, application forms, FAQs) will appear here once our team attaches them. For now, the agency site has the canonical packet.

Citation details

Source systemgrants.gov
Source ID208034
PostedNov 23, 2012

Frequently asked questions

No FAQs yet.

Have a question about this fund? Sign in to open a ticket about this fund.

Similar grants

Construction & Housing
Transportation Department

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program

83
match

- **Who can apply:** Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details). - **Issued by:** Transportation Department. - **About:** The Federal Railroad Administration has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (…

Amount varies Rolling Nationwide, USA
Transportation & Logistics
Transportation Department

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Fiscal Years 2025-2026 Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program for Projects Located on the Northeast Corridor (Partnership-NEC)

97
match

- **Who can apply:** Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details). - **Issued by:** Transportation Department. - **About:** The Federal Railroad Administration has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (…

Amount varies Rolling Nationwide, USA
Agriculture & Farming
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program FR91

71
match

Purpose: The Farm & Ranch Solid Waste Clean Up & Abatement Grant program provides funding for cleaning up and preventing illegal dumping on agricultural properties (CCR, Section 17991(d)). Each fiscal year has four ap…

Amount varies Rolling California, USA
Nonprofit & Community
CA State Library

2026-2027 LSTA Digital Literacy and Access

68
match

Purpose: Public libraries provide access to digital resources and the skills to safely use those resources, which are key components of the Broadband for All Initiative . The goals of this opportunity are to help libr…

Amount varies Rolling California, USA
Apply on agency site