NSF Solicits Proposals for Research Instrumentation

FYI No. 10, January 26, 1994

In an effort to alleviate the backlog of equipment and facility
needs experienced by universities, the National Science Foundation
will provide $110 million in competitively-awarded grants this
year.  Half of the funds will go toward facilities modernization,
and half toward research and research training instrumentation.
This is more than double the amount appropriated last year, which
totaled $37.5 million for facilities and $17.2 million for
instruments.

NSF has recently issued a solicitation for Instrument Development
and Acquisition; a solicitation for facility grants will come out
separately.  Proposals for the instrumentation grants are due by
March 15.  The awards, which will range from $100,000 to $2 million
and require cost sharing of 30 to 50 percent, will be announced in
the fall.  Their purpose is to provide support for the purchase or
development of major state-of-the-art instrumentation; to improve
accessibility to, and greater utilization of, modern research
equipment by scientists, engineers, and students at both the
graduate and undergraduate levels; and to foster the development of
next-generation research instrumentation through academic-private
sector partnerships.

The solicitation states that "proposals may be for a single
instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments
that are used to address a common research problem, . . . in those
fields of science and engineering normally supported by NSF."  The
research activities making use of this instrumentation need not be
supported by NSF, however.  The 30 to 50 percent cost-sharing may
be provided by any private or non-federal public source.

The grants are available to institutions of higher education,
independent non-profit research institutions, research museums, and
consortia of the aforementioned.  Small manufacturers need to
submit an associated Small Business Innovation Research proposal in
order to act as a partner in instrument development.

The primary criteria for proposal evaluation include: quality of
existing research and training activities and qualifications of
investigators; demonstrated need and adequacy of instrumentation
for the intended activities; impacts of the project on future
research and infrastructure needs; the institution's plan for
operation and maintenance; and adequate research funding to utilize
the instrumentation.  In addition, NSF will also look at such
issues as the distribution (by geography and type of institution)
of funds, the ability to achieve the 50 percent cost-sharing, and
whether the research addresses a major theme such as advanced
materials and manufacturing, biotechnology, global change, human or
environmental resources, or high performance computing and
communications.

Inquiries should be directed to the Office of Science and
Technology Infrastructure, Academic Research Infrastructure,
National Science Foundation, Room 1270, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,
Arlington, VA 22230; (703) 306-1040; ari@nsf.gov.


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Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
Contact:  Audrey T. Leath
(301) 209-3094
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