Instrumentation and Equipment

Federal Instrumentation Programs

 
 
Instrument Development for Biological Research (IDBR)

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=9187&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund 

NSF Directorate of Biological Sciences

Amt: not specified

Due: Aug. 28, 2009; last Friday in August, annually thereafter

No limit on number of proposals

No cost share required

The Instrument Development for Biological Research (IDBR) Program supports the development of novel instrumentation or instrumentation that has been significantly improved by at least an order of magnitude or more in fundamental aspects.  Supported instruments are expected to have a significant impact on the study of biological systems at any level. The development of new instrumentation must be firmly based in biological research need. Proposals are encouraged for instrumentation that does not currently exist in the form of a working prototype.  In the selection of projects for funding, the program does not support the development of biological instrumentation that would be used for clinical or biomedical applications.

Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5452&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

NSF Division of Materials Research         

Amt: > $100K PhD granting; > $50K non-PhD granting     

Due: Jan 8, 2009

No limit on number of proposals      

No cost share required

The IMR Program supports the acquisition and/or development of research instruments that will provide new capability and/or advance current capability to: (1) discover fundamental phenomena in materials; (2) synthesize, process, and/or characterize the composition, structure, properties, and performance of materials; and (3) improve the quality, expand the scope, and foster and enable the integration of research and education in research-intensive environments.  Designed to provide advanced capability to the nation's scientists and engineers who are endeavoring to conduct research and educational activities in all areas normally supported by DMR.

NSF Directorate MPS, Division of Materials Research       

Amt: > $2 million but less than $20 million           

Due: October 15, 2007 was announced but later cancelled; NSF plans to release new solicitation in FY 2008 (according to their website)

Limit 1 proposal per institution per year                

No cost share    

Support for the design and construction of major instruments at major US facilities. Also supports the development of detailed conceptual and engineering design for new tools for materials preparation or characterization at major national facilities. Such instruments may include, for example, neutron beam lines, synchrotron beam lines, and high field magnets, as well as development of detectors and preparation environments necessary to support materials research. The program supports two types of awards: Conceptual and Engineering Design (CED) awards and Construction (CNST) awards.

NSF Directorate for Geo-sciences, Division of Earth Sciences

No limit on number of proposals      

No cost share required

Target Dates: February 11, 2009; July 8, 2009

 EAR/IF will support meritorious requests within and across a broad range of fields in the Earth sciences including but not necessarily limited to:  biogeoscience, geology, geochemistry, geodesy, geodynamics, geomorphology, geophysics, hydrology, limnology, mineral physics, mineralogy, paleorecords research, paleontology, petrology, remote sensing, sedimentology, seismology, stratigraphy, structural geology, tectonics and volcanology. The program will consider proposals for: (1) the acquisition or modernization of research equipment, (2) the development of new instrumentation, analytical techniques and/or software that extend current research capabilities in the Earth sciences, (3) the support of shared facilities that make complex and expensive instrument systems available on a national or regional basis, (4) support of research technicians, and 5) development of Cyberinfrastructure for the Earth Sciences (Geoinformatics) that will enable transformative advances in Earth science research and education through novel application, development or adaptation of information technologies.

NSF Directorate for MPS, Division of Chemistry

Due:  January 22, 2008

No limit on number of proposals      

No cost share            

The Instrument Development component of CRIF (CRIF:ID) provides funds for the design and construction of instruments that will enable new chemical measurements or will significantly broaden the use of chemical instrumentation.

BAA W911NF-08-R-0001

DoD through ARO             

Due: Jan. 17, 2008

For HBCUs and MIs only.

Amt: $50, 000 - $500,000

Awards resulting from this solicitation will provide funding for a specific research project. The program is also designed to establish, enhance, or expand research capabilities and academic opportunities in undergraduate and graduate programs. Therefore, awards will be limited to institutions having accredited, degree-granting programs in science, mathematics, and/or engineering. This program also aims to increase student participation in DoD supported research; thus, awards shall include supplemental support for students directly involved with the proposed project. This program is not intended to fund construction or general purpose office equipment.

Major Research Instrumentation Award (MRI)

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5260&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

FAQs at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08020/nsf08020.txt

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Amt: $100K - $4M; < $100K OK for non-PhD granting       

Due: Letter of Intent due Dec. 21, 2007; proposal Jan 24, 2008

3 proposals per institution (max 2 acquisition)      

Cost Share: 30%, but maintenance and operations costs now eligible

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 institutions. Proposals will be considered for instrumentation used for any NSF-supported field of science, mathematics, and engineering. Two types: acquisition and development.

NIH , National Center for Research Resources      

$100K - $500K   

Due: March 21, 2007 (new PAR expected with similar 2008 due date)

No limit on number of proposals      

No cost share required

The objective of the program is to make available to institutions expensive research instruments that can only be justified on a shared-use basis and for which meritorious research projects are described.  The SIG Program provides a cost-effective mechanism for groups of NIH-supported investigators to obtain commercially-available, technologically sophisticated equipment costing more than $100,000. Types of instruments supported include confocal and electron microscopes, biomedical imagers, mass spectrometers, DNA sequencers, biosensors, cell sorters, X-ray diffraction systems, and NMR spectrometers among others.  A major user group of three or more investigators must be identified. A minimum of three major users must be Principal Investigators on NIH peer-reviewed research grants at the time of the application and award.

NSF Directorate for MPS, Division of Chemistry

No $ limit specified; total funding $6M per year     

Due: Fourth Monday in June annually (June 23, 2008)           

No limit on number of proposals      

Cost share: none

PI must be department chair or equivalent. Structured to enable the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry to respond to a variety of needs for infrastructure–instrumentation and facilities–that promotes research and education in areas traditionally supported by the Division (see the NSF Guide to Programs for more information). The Departmental Multi-User Instrumentation component of CRIF provides funds to universities, colleges, and consortia thereof for the purchase of multi-user instruments.

DoD agencies            

Amt: 50K - $1M         

Due: August 21, 2007

No limit on number of proposals      

No cost share required

DURIP is a multi-agency DoD program within the University Research Initiative designed to improve the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment.

NIH National Center for Research Resources        

Amt: > $750K - $2 million           

Letter of Intent Aug 17, 2007

Due: Sept. 17, 2007

No limit on number of proposals      

Cost share allowed but amt not specified

Provide support for up to a maximum of $2.0 million in direct costs for a single major item of advanced equipment. The floor is set at $750,000. The HEI provides a new mechanism to acquire expensive equipment that is too costly to be purchased through the SIG Program. Instruments in this price range would include structural and functional imaging systems, macromolecular NMR spectrometers, high-resolution mass spectrometers, electron microscopes, and supercomputers.

NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infra-structure           

Amt: $40K - $400K        

Due: First Monday of October, Annually – currently not active

No limit on number of proposals      

Cost share 30% of total instrument cost

Multi-user instrumentation for research in biological sciences; provides support to institutions to purchase expensive items of equipment that will be shared by a number of investigators having actively-funded research projects in areas supported by BIO. There must be at least three major users of the proposed instrumentation, and no more than seven (including the PI and co-PIs)

Funding Agency: USDA, CSREES        

Amt: Up to $50K            

Due: November 1st, Annually     

At least 50% matching required

Intended to fund equipment that will upgrade research infrastructure.  Eligibility for equipment grants open to degree-granting institutions that are not among the most successful in receiving federal funds for science and engineering research.  See RFA for details.

Funding Agency: NSF, Directorate of Biological Sciences

Amt: Up to $350K; up to $25Kfor planning grant   

Due: First Friday in March, annually  (March 7, 2008)               

No more than 1 proposal per facility; no limit on # per institution          

No cost share required

NSF invites proposals that address these general goals of improvement of Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSMLs), which are off-campus facilities for research and education conducted in natural habitats of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.  Requests may include improvements in the physical plant of the FSML, equipment purchase, improvements in data management and communication systems and institutional planning.

Funding Agency: NSF Directorate of Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Archaeology       

Funding: $50K - $400K approx           

Due: October 31

The Archaeology Program recognizes three broad classes of archaeometric proposals: (1) proposals to support laboratories which provide archaeometric services; (2) proposals to develop and refine archaeometric techniques; and (3) proposals to apply existing analytic techniques to specific bodies of archaeological materials. "Laboratory support" and "technique development" projects are included within the Archaeometry competition. "Technique application" proposals are best evaluated in a more strictly archaeological context and therefore should be submitted to the "senior" research competition.

Funding Agency: NSF MPS Directorate, Division of Astronomical Sciences              

Due: Not specified      

No info on proposal limits or cost share: contact division

Supports the development and construction of state-of-the-art detectors and instruments for the visible, infrared, and radio regions of the spectrum; interferometric imaging instrumentation; adaptive optics; and the application of new hardware and software technology and innovative techniques in astronomical research. Proposals should identify clearly the astronomical measurement objectives that will be enabled and include a brief task implementation plan with milestones, schedules, and costs.

Funding Agency: NASA           

Amt: $500K - $1M per year over 3 years typically

Last competitions in Dec. 2002 and Nov. 2004

No limit on number of proposals      

Cost share allowed but not required

The objectives of the IIP are to identify, develop and, where appropriate demonstrate new measurement technologies which: 1) reduce the risk, cost, size, and development time of Earth observing instruments, and 2) enable new Earth observation measurements.

Funding Agency: DOE             

Deadline open

No cost share            

The Energy-Related Laboratory Equipment (ERLE) Grant Program was established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to grant available used equipment to institutions of higher education for energy-related research.  Equipment is listed as it becomes available.