RETRACTION NOTICE: At the time this Limited Submission Notice was released, the NSF MRI solicitation was active. However, the NSF MRI solicitation is no longer active and has a status of waiting for new publication. As a result, this Limited Submission Notice is retracted and will be reissued when the new solicitation is published.
Sponsor
National Science Foundation
Summary
The NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program supports the acquisition or development of a multi-user research instrument that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. The MRI program focuses on multi-user/shared instrumentation that often supports research needs across disciplinary boundaries. An instrument acquired or developed with support from the MRI program is expected to be operational by the end of the award period to enable the research/research training activities committed to in the proposal.
Award
- Track 1: at least $100,000 but less than $1.4M.
- Track 2: at least $1.4M and up to a maximum of $4M.
- Track 3: at least $100,000 and up to maximum of $4M. Track 3 is for requests that include the acquisition, development, installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment and instrumentation to reduce consumption of helium.
Regardless of track, acquisition proposals may be funded for up to three (3) years and development proposals may be funded for up to five (5) years.
Limited Submission Requirements and Timeline
Four (4) submissions per institution are allowed. This includes submission as a lead organization, non-lead organization, or subawardee on any proposal (see additional information in Important Notes on Sponsor Requirements below). Proposals may be for instrument acquisition or instrument development.
- Track 1: Two (2) submissions are permitted.
- Track 2: One (1) submission is permitted.
- Track 3: One (1) submission is permitted.
Notice of Interest Process
If interested in this submission, please complete the Notice of Interest (NOI) form by 4 PM on April 15 2026. Only proposals approved by the Division of Research and Economic Development may be submitted to this program.
When submitting your Notice of Interest form, indicate in your description which track you are submitting for.
**If necessary, a further white paper round may be required**
Key Submission Dates
- April 15, 2026 by 4 pm – Notice of Interest
- April 28, 2026 – White paper (if needed)
- May 8, 2026 – Anticipated date applicants will be notified of approval
- Upon Notification – Proposal Intake Form due to OSP Pre-Award. PIs will need to indicate their preferred submission deadline within the submission window noted in the funding opportunity announcement.
- 5 business days before submission deadline- All final proposal documents due to OSP
- October 15, 2026 – November 16, 2026 – Full proposal due to NSF
Important Notes on Sponsor Requirements
- Cost sharing requirements for new awards in the MRI Program are waived for a period of 5 years beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition.
- If a subaward to an organization in a development proposal is 20% or less of the proposal’s total budget request from NSF, the subawardee’s submission limit will not be affected. For subawards within a linked collaborative proposal, the 20% threshold applies to the budget request from NSF in the proposal containing the subaward(s), not to the combined budget request from NSF for the collaborative project.
Please send all inquiries for Limited Submission opportunities to limitedsubmissions@boisestate.edu