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The National Science Foundation provides support for significant research equipment expenditures through the Major Research Instrumentation Program administered by the Office of Integrative Activities. Information on the MRI Program can be obtained via e-mail at mri@nsf.gov or from the OIA Home Page on the World Wide Web at https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/start.htm.

Research equipment with total cost of less than $200,000 can be funded by individual or multiple programs within the Chemical & Transport Systems Division (CTS) of the Engineering Directorate or via joint funding with programs in other divisions or directorates. Alternative mechanisms for seeking equipment funding from the CTS Division are described below.

1. Include the cost of equipment in a regular unsolicited proposal for a research grant.

These proposals will be merit-reviewed in the same manner as other research proposals. Program Directors will make recommendations for funding or declination based on the merit reviews, budget considerations, program balance, and the quality of other proposals being considered for funding. Justification must be provided for the equipment requested. Equipment that will be used by a number of faculty and students and on projects other than the proposed research will be considered favorably; especially for more costly items. One-third institutional cost sharing is required.

2. Submit a separate equipment proposal to the CTS Division.

Unsolicited equipment proposals will be merit-reviewed by mail or panel. The Program Directors in six sub-programs (listed below) would prefer to receive such proposals by a target date of January 15 each year. Recommendations for funding or declination will be based on merit reviews, budget considerations, program balance, and the quality of other proposals being considered for funding. The total impact of the equipment requested on related research programs at the grantee institution will be a major consideration in evaluation of "Equipment-Only" proposals. Guidelines for such proposals are given in NSF's Grant Proposal Guide. One-third institutional cost-sharing is required.

Programs that accept equipment proposals:

Thermal Transport & Thermal Processing
Combustion & Plasmas Systems
Interfacial, Transport & Thermodynamics
Separation & Purification Processes
Fluid Dynamics & Hydraulics
Kinetics, Catalysis & Molecular Processes

Proposals for equipment funds up to $25,000 or 20 % of the grant amount, whichever is less, can be submitted in the form of a request for a supplement to an existing grant. Such requests need to clearly delineate the benefits for the current research program and the potential for expanded future utilization. One-third institutional cost-sharing is required.

INVESTIGATORS WHO ARE CONSIDERING SUBMITTING PROPOSALS FOR EQUIPMENT FUNDING VIA ANY OF THESE THREE ALTERNATIVES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR(S) BEFORE PREPARING A PROPOSAL. THE CTS TELEPHONE NUMBER IS 703-292-8371.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering.  Grantees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication.  Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators.  The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects.  See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 292-8636.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation regarding NSF programs, employment, or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 or through FIRS on 1-800-877-8339.

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS
The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended.  The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress.  The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party.  Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members.  See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998).  Submission of the information is voluntary.  Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:  Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer; Division of Administrative Services; National Science Foundation; Arlington, VA  22230.

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how improve the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.

FASTLANE REQUIREMENTS

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program Solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call
1-800-673-6188.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The signed copy of the proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) must be postmarked (or contain a legible proof of mailing date assigned by the carrier) within five working days following proposal submission to the following address:

National Science Foundation
DIS - FastLane Cover Sheet
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230

November 1997
February 2001(Updated)

OMB No. 3145-0058

P.T.: 01,05,28
K.W.: 0601000,0605000, 0609000

CFDA 47.041

NSF 01-93 (Replaces 99-151) (electronic distribution only)