Major Research Instrumentation Program
The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) catalyzes new knowledge and discoveries by empowering the Nation's scientists and engineers with state-of-the-art research instrumentation. The MRI Program enables research-intensive learning environments that promote the development of a diverse workforce and next generation instrumentation, as well as facilitates academic/private sector partnerships. Among the goals of the MRI Program are:
- Supporting the acquisition of major state-of-the-art instrumentation, thereby improving access to, and increased use of, modern research and research training instrumentation by a diverse workforce of scientists, engineers, and graduate and undergraduate students;
- Fostering the development of the next generation of instrumentation, resulting in new instruments that are more widely used, and/or open up new areas of research and research training;
- Enabling academic departments, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary units, and multi-organization collaborations to create well-equipped research environments that integrate research with research training;
- Supporting the acquisition and development of instrumentation that contributes to, or takes advantage of, existing investments in cyberinfrastructure, while avoiding duplication of services already provisioned by NSF investments;
- Promoting substantive and meaningful partnerships for instrument development between the academic and private sectors. Such partnerships have the potential to build capacity for instrument development in academic settings and to create new products with wide scientific and commercial impact.
MRI FUNDING PAGE
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5260
FY 2017 COMPETITION INFORMATION
Solicitation (NSF 15-504) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will continue to be in effect for the FY 2017 MRI Competition. As indicated in the solicitation, the submission deadline for MRI proposals is the second Wednesday in January (January 11, 2017). The Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide PAPPG 16-1 will apply for this competition.
The MRI Program especially seeks broad representation in its award portfolio, as PIs (as well as co-PIs and instrument users and developers), by women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities.
FY 2017 COMPETITION WEBCAST
An informational webcast on the FY 2017 MRI competition was held on Thursday, November 17 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EST. MRI program staff discussed the current competition and answered questions sent in by online participants. This webcast recording is available as a Flash video at the below link:
www.tvworldwide.com/events/nsf/161117/
FY 2015 AWARD INFORMATION
In FY 2015, NSF reviewed 822 MRI proposals and made 167 awards (a success rate of 20%). Of the awards approximately 20% were for development projects and 80% were for acquisition projects. Development and acquisition proposals had similar success rates (19% and 21%, respectively). One hundred sixteen (14%) of the proposals requested budgets of greater than $1 million. The success rate for these was 16%. The success rates by institution types were as follows: Ph.D.-granting (21%), non-Ph.D.-granting (18%), non-degree-granting (23%) and minority-serving (20%),
The success rates broken down by the directorate that was most closely aligned with a proposal’s intellectual theme were as follows: Biological Sciences 13%; Computer and Information Science and Engineering 28%; Engineering 13%; Geosciences 24%; Mathematical and Physical Sciences 24%; Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences 39%. (Several factors cause variations in success rates. Some directorates co-fund MRI awards with non-MRI program funds while others do not. Whether an award is funded with a budget reduced below the amount originally requested depends on the details of the budget proposed-the proportion of awards with reduced budgets typically varies between directorates and from year to year.)
COMMITTEE OF VISITORS
2000 COV |
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2005 COV |
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2010 COV |
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2016 COV * |
Report-NYA |
Response-NYA |
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*The 2016 Major Research Instrumentation Committee of Visitors (MRI COV) Meeting was held from September 22 through September 23, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. The COV report and NSF’s response are not yet available.
CONTACT INFORMATION
| Program Information: | ||
Email: mri@nsf.gov |
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Phone:703-292-8040 |
| MRI Program Officers: | ||
| Dr. Randy Phelps | Phone: 703-292-5049 |
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PROGRAM INFORMATION
Award Lists |
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2015 |
2014 |
2013 |
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2010_RAPID** The NSF-wide MRI Webpage can be accessed here. |
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DOCUMENTS
2016 February 19. Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Dialogues – MRI Session
2016 March 01. NSF Grants Conference, Portland, OR – MRI Breakout Session
2016 August 19. Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network MRI Workshop
2016 September 29. Independent Colleges Office (ICO) Liaison Meeting
2016 November 15. NSF Grants Conference, Pittsburgh, PA – MRI Breakout Session
Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) Brochure