Date

Request for Comments
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC)
National Science Foundation

Comment Deadline: Thursday, 24 March 2005 (12 p.m. EST)

For further information on the Major Research Equipment and Facilities
Construction account, please go to:
http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2005/pdf/fy2005_15.pdf


Curt Suplee, Director of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs
(OLPA) of the National Science Foundation, will be leading a discussion
at an upcoming Advisory Committee meeting on Friday, 25 March 2005. The
discussion will focus on big facility projects.

The Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account
provides funding for the acquisition, construction, and commissioning of
major research facilities and equipment that provide unique capabilities
at the frontiers of science and engineering.

Curt requests input from the scientific community on MREFC projects. For
example:

How do the various disciplines feel about the amount and kind of MREFC
projects NSF undertakes?

Does the community feel that MREFC projects take funding away from
individual investigators or small groups?

Are the NSF facilities too narrowly focused in only a few areas?

Do all disciplines feel that they can participate in the MREFC program?

Do you have any comments on the management of big projects?

Do you have any other comments?

Please send your comments to Curt Suplee (csuplee [at] nsf.gov) by
12:00 p.m. (noon EST) Thursday, 24 March 2005.