National Science Foundation (NSF)
Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) Program
NSF 09-561
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THE INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
***Internal Selection Process Required***
See the NSF website for the complete program announcement
Internal Deadline: Monday, June 15, 2009, 12 noon
(see internal submission guidelines below)
# of applicants permitted: 3
Eligible organizations may submit a maximum of three (3) proposals, independent of the number of proposals that may have been submitted under the NSF 09-502 MRI competition in January 2009. However, proposals that wholly or substantially duplicate those that were accepted for review under NSF 09-502 (Jan. 2009) will not be accepted for this competition.
A maximum of two submissions can be for instrument acquisition.
If three proposals are submitted, at least one submission must be for instrument development.
An organization may be included as a funded subawardee/subcontractor in another organization's development proposal, at a level of 20% or less of that proposal's budget, without affecting the subawardee's/subcontractor's submission limit. Inclusion as a funded subawardee/subcontractor in a development proposal at a budgetary level in excess of 20%, or in any acquisition proposal, must be counted against proposal submission limits.
Amount of funding:
Length of Award: Up to 3 years for acquisition proposals; up to 5 years for development proposals
Instrument acquisition and Instrument development: minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $6 million.
COST SHARING REQUIREMENT:
Effective FY 2009, for both acquisition and development proposals, Ph.D. granting institutions of higher education and non-degree granting organizations are required to cost share at a level of 30% of the total proposal project cost
(Please see the program announcement, Section V.B for more details.)
DESCRIPTION:
The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, museums and science centers, and not-for-profit organizations. This program especially seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, by providing shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments. Development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared inter- and/or intra-organization use is encouraged, as are development efforts that leverage the strengths of private sector partners as appropriate to the goals of the MRI Program. The MRI Program is intended to assist with the acquisition or development of research instrumentation that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. Instruments are expected to be operational for regular research use by the end of the award period.
The academic research enterprise relies on the availability of modern instrumentation, much of which can be acquired with little/no modification from existing sources. For this reason, acquisition proposals are characterized by a rapid implementation requiring limited personnel, and as having little risk to complete. MRI-R2 acquisition proposals may also be characterized by a demonstrated need for the purchase or upgrade of generally available, yet sophisticated, instruments with little or no modification for shared use among a group of researchers. Acquisition proposals must meet these guidelines to be considered for the MRI-R2 program.
Instrument Development:
The academic research enterprise relies on new generations of sophisticated research instrumentation and NSF encourages individual investigators, and teams of researchers, to apply for instrument development support. Development proposals are characterized by a demonstrated need for new or upgraded instruments that can provide enhanced or potentially transformative use and performance, open up new areas of research and research training, and/or have potential as commercial products. "Performance" may include accuracy, reliability, resolving power, throughput speed, sample capacity, flexibility of operation, breadth of application, user-friendliness, and/or new types of measurement or information gathering. MRI-R2 development proposals are characterized by a need for longer timescales involving design, construction, testing and commissioning such that equipment costs may not themselves represent the largest portion of the budget. Development proposals also tend to involve greater risk to complete.
Development proposals must describe the added performance of the new instrument and the expected impact on the broader research community, and the development of instrumentation that takes advantage of new opportunities enabled by investments in cyberinfrastructure is encouraged. The MRI-R2 program does not consider the acquisition of individual pieces of equipment simply combined in a new system, the mere purchase of an upgrade, or the development of enabling technologies, devices, products or techniques to constitute instrument development.
MRI-R2 Program Purpose and Goals:
The primary purpose of the MRI-R2 program is to facilitate scientific and engineering research and research training through the acquisition or development of research instrumentation. Therefore, the MRI-R2 program will not support the acquisition or development of instrumentation used primarily for standard science and engineering education courses, or for general purpose instrumentation that does not have a common or specific research focus. Other uses of the instrumentation may serve to facilitate the broader impacts of the project.
Proposals to the MRI-R2 program should conform to one or more of its goals:
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 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 education;
Supporting the acquisition and development of instrumentation that contributes to advancements in supercomputing technology, and/or takes advantage of existing investments in cyberinfrastructure while avoiding duplication of services already provisioned by NSF investments. The NSF document, “Cyberinfrastructure Vision for the 21st Century” provides an evolving vision that will help guide the Foundation's future investments in cyberinfrastructure;
Promoting substantive and meaningful partnerships for instrument development between the academic and private sectors (i.e., small businesses). 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. Partnerships with applicability to the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRCs) program are encouraged.
General purpose equipment, including general purpose computers or assorted instruments that do not share a common or specific research or research training focus;
Instrumentation used primarily for science and engineering education courses. Other programs at NSF (e.g., the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement program) provide funding for the development of exemplary courses and teaching practices, including instrumentation to support such projects;
Renovation or modernization of research facilities, supporting equipment, and general purpose platforms. The term “research facilities” refers to the bricks-and-mortar physical plant in which sponsored or unsponsored research activities (including research training) takes place, including routine sustaining infrastructure (e.g., standard electrical and plumbing systems, standard computer networks, standard safety features), general purpose systems (e.g., HVAC and power systems, toxic waste removal systems, telecommunications equipment), and supporting equipment. The term “supporting equipment” refers to basic, durable components of a research facility that are integral to its operation (e.g., clean rooms, fume hoods, elevators, laboratory casework). The term “general purpose platform” refers to major fixed or non-fixed structures, vehicles, and/or environments that host an instrument, but do not otherwise contribute directly to data gathering. Other opportunities (e.g., the Academic Research Infrastructure program) may be available to support these types of projects.
ELIGIBILITY:
Stanford faculty with PI eligibility
Eligible Fields of Science and Engineering
-Proposals will be considered for instrumentation used for NSF-supported fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.
-Researchers using this instrumentation need not be supported by NSF or the Federal government.
-MEDICAL RESEARCH restriction: The program will not provide support for instrumentation to be used in medical education (such as medical school courses). Instrumentation intended for research with disease-related goals, including work on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality, or malfunction in human beings or animals, is normally not supported. Instrumentation for research on animal models of such conditions or the development or testing of drugs or other procedures for their treatment also is not eligible for support.
-However, instrumentation for bioengineering research, with diagnosis- or treatment-related goals that applies engineering principles to problems in biology and medicine, while also advancing engineering knowledge, is eligible for support.
-Instrumentation for bioinformatics and bioengineering research to aid persons with disabilities also is eligible.
Eligible project costs:
All Proposals.
The extent to which the proposed project will make a substantial improvement in the institution's capabilities to conduct leading edge research, to provide research experiences for undergraduate students using leading edge facilities, and to broaden the participation in science and engineering research by women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities.
Instrument Acquisition Proposals.
The extent of shared use of the instrumentation for research and/or research training.
Whether the management plan includes sufficient infrastructure and technical expertise to allow effective usage of the instrument; and provides the organization’s commitments for operations and maintenance.
Whether the request for operations and maintenance is justified and reasonable in magnitude. If direct support for student involvement in operations and maintenance is requested, reviewers will be asked to evaluate the involvement in terms of both instrument needs and training the next generation of instrumentalists.
Plans for using the new or enhanced research capability in teaching, training or learning.
In addition, for mid-scale instrument acquisition proposals: the impact of the instrumentation at the state or national level, and the detailed plans for funding of operation and maintenance
Instrument Development Proposals:
The adequacy of the management plan. Does the plan have a realistic, detailed schedule? Are mechanisms in place to deal with potential risks?
The availability of appropriate technical expertise to design and construct the instrument. If direct support for student involvement in development efforts is requested, reviewers will be asked to evaluate the involvement in terms of both project needs and training the next generation of instrumentalists.
The appropriateness of the cost of the new technology.
The need for development of a new instrument. Will the proposed instrument enable enhanced performance over existing instruments, or new types of measurement or information gathering? Is there a strong need for the new instrument in the larger user community?
Additional review criteria:
All Proposals.
The extent to which the proposed project will make a substantial improvement in the institution's capabilities to conduct leading edge research, to provide research experiences for undergraduate students using leading edge facilities, and to broaden the participation in science and engineering research by women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities.
Instrument Acquisition Proposals.
The extent of shared use of the instrumentation for research and/or research training.
Whether the management plan includes sufficient infrastructure and technical expertise to allow effective usage of the instrument; and provides the organization’s commitments for operations and maintenance.
Whether the request for operations and maintenance is justified and reasonable in magnitude. If direct support for student involvement in operations and maintenance is requested, reviewers will be asked to evaluate the involvement in terms of both instrument needs and training the next generation of instrumentalists.
Plans for using the new or enhanced research capability in teaching, training or learning.
In addition, for mid-scale instrument acquisition proposals: the impact of the instrumentation at the state or national level, and the detailed plans for funding of operation and maintenance
Instrument Development Proposals:
The adequacy of the management plan. Does the plan have a realistic, detailed schedule? Are mechanisms in place to deal with potential risks?
The availability of appropriate technical expertise to design and construct the instrument. If direct support for student involvement in development efforts is requested, reviewers will be asked to evaluate the involvement in terms of both project needs and training the next generation of instrumentalists.
The appropriateness of the cost of the new technology.
The need for development of a new instrument. Will the proposed instrument enable enhanced performance over existing instruments, or new types of measurement or information gathering? Is there a strong need for the new instrument in the larger user community?
STANFORD INTERNAL SELECTION PROCEDURES
Due By: Monday, June 15, 2009 --12 noon
Please submit an original and 5 copies, specifying whether for instrument development or acquisition proposal, of the following to:
Elizabeth Lasensky
Office of the Dean of Research
Building 60, Room 223 (to the right of Memorial Church)
723-9034
Lasensky@stanford.edu
1) Cover page:
a) Include NSF 09-561 -Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment
b) Project title (which should identify the scientific discipline(s) for which the instrumentation is requested, should convey the primary purpose of the proposal., e.g.,
"MRI: Acquisition of ____", or "MRI: Development of ____".
Consortium project titles should be identified in the title:
"MRI-Consortium: Acquisition of ___", or "MRI-Consortium: Development of ___".
c) Estimated total cost
d) Names, departments, addresses and email addresses for each PI
2) Department Chair letter- Include letter from lead PI's department chair who will be signing an acknowledgment of the cost sharing of 30% of total eligible project costs that NSF is requiring. If the proposal is interdisciplinary, please have the letter signed by the co-PI's department chair as well.
3) Project Summary (limit: 4 pages)
a) Describe the proposed major research instrumentation, the type of research/research training conducted, and the activity that would result if NSF funds the project. Where multiple schools are involved, please include a statement describing how the jointly-submitted project will be administered. Please describe existing or pending resources to support the use of the instrumentation.
b) For proposals requesting over $2 million: you must address the potential impact of the instrument at both the National level and on the research community of interest. Concrete plans for enabling access by external users (including those from non-Ph.D. and/or minority-serving institutions) through physical access and/or cyberinfrastructure must be presented, and the uniqueness of the requested instrumentation must be described.
3) 3-4 page biosketch for each PI (which includes other support -current and pending)
Your proposals will be reviewed by the Office of the Dean of Research Internal Review Committee. That committee will select the 3 applicants to represent the university.
