NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program

The Research Development Office (RDO) invites internal submissions for the upcoming cycle of NSF's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program.  RDO's internal deadline for Letters of Intent (LOIs) is July 23, 2020.  A timeline is included, below.

[While this is not typically a program that funds equipment acquisition in our college, we are sharing this with you in case you have unmet needs for research instruments in your department, program, or lab.]

MRI awards provide support to acquire critical research instrumentation without which advances in fundamental science and engineering research may not otherwise occur. MRI also provides support to develop next-generation research instruments that open new opportunities to advance the frontiers in science and engineering research. Eligible institutions may submit no more than two submissions in Track 1 and no more than one submission in Track 2:

• Track 1: MRI proposals that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $100,000 and less than $1,000,000
• Track 2: MRI proposals that request funds from NSF greater than or equal to $1,000,000 up to and including $4,000,000

The NSF MRI program is a tremendous opportunity for NC State to acquire and/or develop cutting-edge instrumentation that serves to expand the pool of shared research resources available to the NC State research community as well as the broader research enterprise in North Carolina.  Before submitting an internal pre-proposal to RDO, PIs must get approval from their Associate Dean for Research. Each NC State college is limited to three Track 1 internal pre-proposals and one Track 2 internal pre-proposal, as lead college. Additionally, Shared Core Research Facilities are invited to submit internal pre-proposals, and each facility is limited to one pre-proposal, independent of track. 

Timeline:

• LOI deadline: July 23, 2020 (Must be submitted by college research office or core facility director. Colleges may impose additional deadlines.)
• Internal pre-proposal deadline: August 13, 2020 (A template with full instructions on pre-proposal requirements will be provided to the PIs named on the LOIs as submitted by the CROs and core facilities.)
• Notification of internal selections: September 2020
• NSF proposal deadline: January 19, 2021

Full details are available on RDO's MRI website.