Instrumentation for Materials Research (nsf03503)

The IMR program accepts proposals from US academic institutions of higher education, independent nonprofit research organizations, research museums, and legally incorporated consortia thereof. Proposals may be submitted in support of individual investigators or small groups who are endeavoring to conduct research and educational activities in all areas within the purview of DMR. Synergistic collaboration among researchers and collaboration or partnerships with industry or government laboratories is encouraged when appropriate.

Only one proposal can be submitted by a Principal Investigator. In addition, he/she may collaborate in only one other proposal as a co-Investigator. Group and collaborative proposals involving more than one organization must be submitted as a single administrative package from one of the organizations involved. Due to the limited availability of funds, prospective applicants are strongly urged to contact the program officer listed at the end of this solicitation for guidance. The IMR program normally considers proposals for single instruments or a single system. If more than one instrument is requested, the proposal must indicate their relative priority, and give explanations and scientific justification for each item requested. A proposal listing assorted instruments without a focused research or research training program will not be accepted. Proposers requesting instruments for multidisciplinary use involving other Divisions within NSF are encouraged to discuss their plans with the appropriate Program Officers prior to submission (see "Other NSF Programs of Interest"). Multidisciplinary instrumentation proposals must be submitted to only one NSF Division. These should include a paragraph in the first page describing the multidisciplinary nature of the proposal. Proposals that are multidisciplinary in nature will be co-reviewed by the appropriate Division(s) within NSF. Proposals submitted to IMR that are under active review elsewhere in the Foundation are considered inappropriate and will returned without review. The IMR program accepts proposals from PhD granting institutions to purchase and/or develop instruments that cost more than $100,000 (more than $70,000 requested from NSF). The program accepts proposals from non-PhD granting institutions to purchase and/or develop instruments that cost more than $50,000. Because of the high cost and complexity of major instruments, proposals for multi-user instruments are strongly encouraged. Proposals requesting funds to purchase and/or develop instruments costing less than $100,000 (less than $50,000 for non-PhD granting institutions) will be returned without review. Such proposals should be submitted to the appropriate disciplinary program(s) for review.

Eligible Project Costs:

Eligible project costs are those total project costs (comprising the NSF award plus the institution's cost sharing) that are properly and reasonably allocable to the research instrumentation based on the percentage of time that it is to be used for research and research training. For instrument acquisition proposals, eligible project costs include: costs of instrument purchase, installation, commissioning and calibration. The direct and indirect cost of operation, maintenance, and other appropriate technical support during the award period are also eligible. For instrument development proposals, eligible project costs include all of the items listed above, as well as the direct and indirect costs associated with support for personnel engaged in instrument development. Direct and indirect costs associated with research projects to be conducted using the requested instrumentation (including researchers' salary and students' stipends) are not eligible costs under the IMR program.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

Funding for the IMR program is subject to change annually depending on the availability of funds. It is expected that the support for IMR awards in fiscal year (FY) 2004 will be at about the same level as in FY 2003. In FY 2003, the program awarded $7.1 million for instrument acquisition and development, and education and training activities. The minimum award size in the IMR program is $70,000 (based on a minimum acquisition cost of $100,000 less the required cost sharing percentage; see section V. B.) for PhD-granting institutions and $50,000 for non-PhD granting institutions. The typical award duration is one to three years.

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Website at: https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

The following instructions supplement the GPG guidelines. IMR proposals must follow the format of research proposals. An instrumentation proposal should include a brief description of the proposed instrument and the new scientific and educational capability it will provide, a statement of the potential impact it will have on the research and education/training of students, and the potential impact it is expected to have on one or more fields of scientific research, education, or infrastructure.

Each potential major user should describe the project(s) for which the equipment will be used. These descriptions should be succinct, not necessarily as detailed as in an individual research proposal, and should emphasize the intrinsic merit of the activity and the importance of the equipment to it. A brief summary will suffice for auxiliary users. For the review process, you may suggest the names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses of six to eight individuals outside the participating institutions, including women and members of underrepresented groups, who have expertise in the proposed activities and are not collaborators, and who could provide an unbiased evaluation, if requested, of your proposal. Names of individuals who should not be used as reviewers may also be included. Also provide, through Fastlane, the names and affiliations of all collaborators over the past four years, and indicate the nature of the collaboration. This information must be sent via the FastLane System using the "List of Suggested Reviewers" page within the Proposal Preparation function. Special attention should be given to the following required information which is essential for the review and decision making process.

Sections of the Proposal

1. Title. The IMR proposal title should be brief and should not include abbreviations. It should begin with "Acquisition of ---." or "Development of ---." and include Education and/or Student Training in the title. For example: "Acquisition of a Rheometer for Polymer Materials Research and Education." Another example: "Development of an Ultrahigh Resolution Photoemission System for Studies of Quantum Structures and Student Training." The title should not refer to any specific supplier or model numbers, and must not exceed 15 words.

2. Project Summary. The project summary should include a brief description of the proposed instrument and the new scientific and educational capabilities they will provide, a statement of the potential impact it will have on the research and education/training of students, and the potential impact it is expected to have on one or more fields of scientific research, education, or infrastructure. Some examples of broader impact activities are given in the NSF web site at https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf032/bicexamples.pdf. Proposals that do not separately address both merit criteria within the one page Project Summary will be returned without review.

3. Table of Contents. This section is automatically prepared by the fastlane system.

4. Project Description (including Results from Prior NSF Support). The Project Description must clearly justify the instrument requested in terms of the scientific research and educational activities that are being proposed. The new measurement capability that the new instrument will provide should be clearly described. The following items are required as part of the Project Description (limited to 15 pages):

a. Instrument Development/Construction Projects: If development/construction of a new instrument is proposed, the design must provide sufficient detail for reviewers to assess its feasibility. Reviewers will be asked to comment on the potential impact that the proposed instrument will have on research and the education/training of students. A brief statement of the anticipated impact of the proposed project is required. The following must be provided:

An analysis of the need and broad applicability of the proposed instrument, including potential uses and users in the field of materials research and education;
A description of specific initial research plans for the instrument, and plans for long-range future usage;
Plans for the construction of the instrument;
A description of preliminary work completed;
An analysis of potential problems/issues, and proposed solutions;
An estimated timeline for completion within the requested duration of support;
A plan to evaluate the performance of the instrument; and
A description of industrial or national laboratory collaborations or links during the development stages and subsequent to development/construction completion, if appropriate;

b. Instrument Acquisition Projects: If purchase of a new instrument is proposed, the following information must be provided:

A technical description of the proposed instrument, including the specific model(s) chosen, in sufficient detail for reviewers to evaluate the essential need and appropriateness of the instrument for the research and educational activities proposed; and a paragraph indicating whether the instrument will be used for new research project(s) or existing research project(s);
A discussion of the research project(s) and educational activities for which the instrument will be used in sufficient detail for reviewers to evaluate its scientific merit. For multi-user instruments, no more than four or five major research projects (projects utilizing 20% or more of the instrument time) may be described in succinct form, emphasizing the intrinsic scientific and educational merit of the activities and the importance of the equipment to them;
A brief summary of all additional projects, i.e., those involving less than 20% of the instrument time, is sufficient;
In the event the instrumentation proposal is linked to a research proposal under review in any of the disciplinary NSF programs, a clear statement of this link must be made. A summary of the research and educational goals contained in the proposal must be given, as well as the complementarity of the proposals. However, it is not necessary to duplicate the scientific sections of the research proposal in the instrumentation proposal;
If the instrument is to be used for existing research projects, a discussion of the new capability the proposed instrument will provide, and how the new instrument will significantly impact the project(s) must be given. If comparable equipment to that requested is already at the proposing institutions, or if replacement of existing equipment is requested, rationale must be provided. This includes comparable government-owned equipment that is on-site; and
Plans for implementing the proposed research and educational activities.

Instrumentation proposals must discuss arrangements for Acquisition, Maintenance, Operation, Use Plans, and Shared Use of the instrument including:

Overall acquisition plan;
Biographical sketch of the person(s) who will have overall responsibility for maintenance and operation and a brief statement of qualifications;
Description of the physical facility, including floor plans or other appropriate information, where the equipment will be located;
Statement of why the equipment is severable or non-severable from the physical facility;
Plans for the allocation of time on the instrument and the criteria used for allocation;
An estimate of the fraction of time the instrument will be used by the various local and other potential users;
A detailed plan of how use charges will be assessed (if applicable);
Annual budget for operation and maintenance of the proposed equipment, indicating source of funds; and
Brief description of other support services available for this instrument, and the annual budget for their operation, maintenance and administration.

In addition to the above requirements, the Project Description within its 15-page limitation should also provide, if applicable, results from Prior NSF Support in the past five years.

5. References Cited. References are required with the names of all authors, the article title, journal title, book title, volume number, page number(s) and the year of publication.

6. Biographical Sketch(es). A biographical sketch (limited to two pages) is required for each individual identified as senior project personnel. The biographical sketch should provide professional preparation, appointments, publications, synergistic activities, collaborators and other affiliations including names of PhD and postdoctoral advisors.

7. Budget. Each proposal must contain a budget for each year of support requested. A budget justification of up to three pages is authorized to provide necessary justification and documentation for the total cost of the proposed project or instrumentation, the itemized cost of each instrument/component, and the proposed level of cost sharing from all non-Federal sources. Only equipment funds requested from NSF (the net amount after subtracting the institutional cost sharing amount from the total equipment cost) should be given in the line D of the proposal budget.

a. Cost Sharing Requirements: The IMR program has specific cost sharing requirements. See Section V. B. "Budgetary Information" below for additional information. For more details about cost sharing requirements, please refer to the NSF web site NSF Cost Sharing Policy: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dga/policy/docs/csfaqs03_1.pdf). Letters of support for cost sharing and price quotes from equipment manufacturers/suppliers should be submitted in the supplementary documentation section of the FastLane Proposal Preparation module.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement/solicitation number (04-503) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

For non-PhD granting institutions, there is no cost-sharing requirement.

For Ph.D. granting institutions a cost sharing amount, which is exactly at 30% (no more, no less) of the total equipment acquisition cost, is required. For example, if the total equipment acquisition cost is $100,000, the institutional cost sharing will be $30,000 (enter on line M of the proposal budget) and $70,000 will be requested from NSF (enter on line D of the proposal budget).

If acquisition of major equipment is requested as part of an instrument development proposal, the same 30% cost-sharing requirement applies to the acquisition cost of the major equipment.

Equipment funds requested from NSF (the net amount after subtracting the institutional cost sharing amount from the total equipment cost) should be given in the line D of the proposal budget.

The proposed cost sharing must be shown on Line M on the proposal budget. Documentation of the availability of cost sharing must be included in the proposal. Only items which would be allowable under the applicable cost principles, if charged to the project, may be included as the awardee's contribution to cost sharing. Contributions may be made from any non-Federal source, including non-Federal grants or contracts, and may be cash or in-kind (see OMB Circular A-110, Section 23). It should be noted that contributions counted as cost-sharing toward projects of another Federal agency may not be counted towards meeting the specific cost-sharing requirements of the NSF award. All cost-sharing amounts are subject to audit. Failure to provide the level of cost-sharing reflected in the approved award budget may result in termination of the NSF award, disallowance of award costs and/or refund of award funds to NSF.

Minimum equipment cost of $50,000 for proposals from non-PhD granting institutions; minimum equipment cost of $100,000 ($70K requested from NSF) for proposals from PhD granting institutions.

C. Due Dates

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this announcement/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 the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program announcement/solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this announcement/solicitation.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Proposers are no longer required to provide a paper copy of the signed Proposal Cover Sheet to NSF. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal.

The National Science Board approved revised criteria for evaluating proposals at its meeting on March 28, 1997 (NSB 97-72). All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

On July 8, 2002, the NSF Director issued Important Notice 127, Implementation of new Grant Proposal Guide Requirements Related to the Broader Impacts Criterion. This Important Notice reinforces the importance of addressing both criteria in the preparation and review of all proposals submitted to NSF. NSF continues to strengthen its internal processes to ensure that both of the merit review criteria are addressed when making funding decisions.

In an effort to increase compliance with these requirements, the January 2002 issuance of the GPG incorporated revised proposal preparation guidelines relating to the development of the Project Summary and Project Description. Chapter II of the GPG specifies that Principal Investigators (PIs) must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary. This chapter also reiterates that broader impacts resulting from the proposed project must be addressed in the Project Description and described as an integral part of the narrative.

Effective October 1, 2002, NSF will return without review proposals that do not separately address both merit review criteria within the Project Summary. It is believed that these changes to NSF proposal preparation and processing guidelines will more clearly articulate the importance of broader impacts to NSF-funded projects.

The two National Science Board approved merit review criteria are listed below (see the Grant Proposal Guide Chapter III.A for further information). The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified to make judgments.

NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Ad Hoc and/or panel review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

In most cases, proposers will be contacted by the Program Officer after his or her recommendation to award or decline funding has been approved by the Division Director. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award.

NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the date of receipt. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1); * or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Website at http://www.gpo.gov.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.

Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for the PI and all Co-PIs. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at https://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter.

Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (https://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available.

Related NSF programs for research instrumentation and instrument development are listed below. In NSF divisions that have no separate instrumentation program, needs are provided for in regular research grant programs.

Program Title	Brochure	Telephone
Instrumentation For Materials Research- Major Instrumentation Projects (IMR-MIP)	https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03604/nsf03604.htm	(703)-292-4920
Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities	https://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/che/news/c_notices.htm#program	703-292-4953
Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation Program, Division of Astronomical Sciences	https://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ati.htm	703-292-4892
Major Research Instrumentation	http://www.inside.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/start.htm	703-292-8040
Scientific Computing Research Environments for the Mathematical Sciences (SCREMS)	https://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/dms/news/c_notices.htm#program	703-292-4879
Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities	http://www.geo.nsf.gov/EAR/IF/facil.htm	703-292-8558
Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination Program (OTIC)	http://www.geo.nsf.gov/oce/ocefac_over.htm	703-292-8580
Oceanographic Instrumentation and Technical Services Program	http://www.geo.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/geo/showprog.plid=39&div=oce	703-292-8580
Polar Instrumentation and Technology Development	https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf0025	703-292-8030
Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML)	https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf02040	703-292-8470
Instrument Development for Biological Research	https://www.nsf.gov/bio/progdes/nsf98119.htm	703-292-8470
Multi-user Biological Equipment and Instrumentation Resources	https://www.nsf.gov/bio/dbi/dbi_instrument.htm	703-292-8470
Computer Information Science & Engineering Research Infrastructure	https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf005/nsf005.htm	703-292-8980
Instrumentation Grants for Research in Computer and Information Science and Engineering	https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf98132/nsf98132.htm	703-292-8980
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Instrumentation (contact Dr. John Yellen)	https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1995/nsf9513/nsf9513.txt	703-292-8759
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)	https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf0128rev/nsf0128rev.htm	703-292-8330

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees 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, although some programs may have special requirements that limit eligibility.

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 GPG Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

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 proposal 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.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. 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 Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230.

Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)

Program Solicitation
NSF 04-503
Replaces Document NSF 02-009

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Eligibility Information

Award Information

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

B. Budgetary Information

C. Due Dates

Proposal Review Information

Award Administration Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

B. Budgetary Information

C. Due Dates

D. FastLane Requirements

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

B. Award Conditions

C. Reporting Requirements

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR)

Program Solicitation NSF 04-503 Replaces Document NSF 02-009

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

General Information

Eligibility Information

Award Information

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

B. Budgetary Information

C. Due Dates

Proposal Review Information

Award Administration Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

B. Budgetary Information

C. Due Dates

D. FastLane Requirements

VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A. NSF Proposal Review Process

B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notification of the Award

B. Award Conditions

C. Reporting Requirements

VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

Program Solicitation
NSF 04-503
Replaces Document NSF 02-009