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Toolkit for Instrumentation Programs
Overview
There are a significant number of federally funded programs that specifically fund purchase or development of research instrumentation. The table at the end of this toolkit provides a list of such programs. Because the objectives, requirements and review criteria for acquisition programs (programs that fund the purchase of an instrument from a vendor) differ significantly from development programs (which fund the development and fabrication of a new type of instrument), they are discussed separately below.
All the URLs were active when this version (see above date) was prepared. Program dates, when given, are for the most current past funding cycle, and therefore may change slightly for upcoming opportunities. URLs can change. If one of the URL links is not active, copy and paste the program title into Google or Yahoo to search for a more current URL.
Please direct comments and feedback to l-deckard@tamu.edu, or suggest potential listings for updated versions.
Acquisition Programs
The motivation of agencies funding acquisition of instruments is to use that money to enhance projects already funded by the agency and/or project areas that will be funded by the agency in the near future. As such, it is important that the PI and co-PIs have projects funded by the agency and that they can convincingly describe how the proposed instrument will significantly enhance those projects. For DoD instrument programs such as the DURIP, it is important to have one or more Program Officers within a DoD agency as champions for the proposal; these will usually be Program Officers who are currently funding research projects that will benefit from the acquisition of the instrument.
For most instrumentation acquisition programs, the agency is looking for maximum impact for the money spent, which usually means having multiple users of the instrument, and often may mean users from multiple institutions and disciplines. In addition, one of NSF’s goals is to enhance the research infrastructure for predominately undergraduate institutions and for minority-serving institutions. Proposals to NSF’s instrumentation acquisition programs will often be more competitive if they present a plan explaining how the instrument will be made available to researchers from those types of institutions.
Common features of most instrument acquisition programs are:
- The proposed instrument should enhance projects already funded by the agency
- The agency is looking for maximum impact for the money spent, which may include having multiple users or users from multiple disciplines, as well as having an impact on research and education
- The sponsor wants to be sure the instrument will be taken care of, so the proposal must describe the infrastructure that is available to support the instrument (space, facilities such as power, funds for maintenance, availability of a technician, etc.)
- The sponsor wants to make sure the instrument will be used, so proposals should describe users with a record of active funded research, publications, and pending proposals
- Most programs will require a “Management Plan,” which should describe who will be in charge of managing the instrument, the infrastructure and expertise available to keep the instrument running, how instrument time will be allotted among users, any user fees, etc., and other plans for maintaining and managing the instrument.
- Most instrument programs will fund expenses directly related to acquisition and commissioning of the instrument, but will not fund costs related to research conducted on the instrument after it is commissioned. It is therefore important to read budget guidelines for the program carefully.
- Proposals should clearly explain what specific research will be enabled by having the proposed instrument that would not otherwise be possible; generic descriptions of research projects that will use the instrument are not sufficient.
Development Programs
Equipment development programs focus on developing new instruments that will significantly enhance research capabilities in research areas of interest to the funding agency. Proposals to these types of programs must explain how development of the new instrument will enable new types of measurement or information gathering. In contrast to acquisition programs, instrument development programs are actually research projects requiring a detailed work plan and discussion of the scientific basis for the work and the qualifications of those designing and building the instrument. Instrument development programs generally allow funds for support of researchers, students, and technicians who are directly involved in development of the instrument. Depending on the type of instrument, it may also be appropriate to team with a corporate partner who can eventually commercialize the instrument.
Listing of Grant Programs for Instrumentation and Equipment