Date

For information about the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
Program in general, contact the Program Officer in the Office of
Integrative Activities:

Joseph Burt, OD/OIA
Phone: 703/292-8040
Fax: 703/292-9040
Email: jburt [at] nsf.gov or mri [at] nsf.gov

For information about how the MRI Program is handled in OPP, contact:

Scott Borg
Antarctic G&G, NSF/OPP
Phone: 703/292-8033
Fax: 703/292-9079
Email: sborg [at] nsf.gov

If you have questions of a scientific or technical nature that relate
to a specific discipline, please contact the regular science program
officer for that discipline.

The MRI award in its entirety can be downloaded from:
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf017

PROGRAM NAME
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
Instrument Development and Acquisition Solicitation

NSF 01-7
(Replaces NSF 99-168)

DEADLINE: 7 February 2001

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) is designed to increase
access to scientific and engineering equipment for research and research
training in our Nation's academic institutions. This program seeks to
improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research
training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of
research and education by providing instrumentation for
research-intensive learning environments.

The MRI Program assists in the acquisition or development of major
research instrumentation by U.S. institutions that is, in general, too
costly for support through other NSF programs. The maintenance and
technical support associated with these instruments is also supported.
Proposals may be for a single instrument, a large system of instruments,
or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus.

Excerpts from Announcement:

MRI PROGRAM GOALS
The goals of the MRI Program are to:

  • Support the acquisition, through purchase, upgrade, or development,
    of major state-of-the-art instrumentation for research, research
    training, and integrated research/education activities at U.S.
    institutions;

  • Improve access to and increase use of modern research and research
    training instrumentation by scientists, engineers, and graduate and
    undergraduate students;

  • Enable academic departments or cross-departmental units to create
    well-equipped learning environments that integrate research with
    education;

  • Foster the development of the next generation of instrumentation for
    research and research training; and

  • Promote partnerships between academic researchers and private sector
    instrument developers.

Note: The MRI Program will not review a duplicate proposal submitted to
another NSF instrumentation program.

INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT
NSF is stimulating the development of the next generation of research
instrumentation by encouraging institutions to submit proposals that
target instrument development. Individual investigators and teams of
researchers are encouraged to apply for instrument development support.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
mathematics and engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
NSF Web site at:

http://www.nsf.gov