Please note this is for informational purposes only, and much of this is based on previous solicitations. Please check with the specific agencies for the most updated information and deadlines.
National Science Foundation
Capacity: Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML)
Supports major improvements to biological field stations or laboratories in any terrestrial, marine, estuarine, or freshwater environment for research and education.
- Award amount: in FY21, 50-75 awards from $18M-$20M budget
- Submission deadline: Proposals accepted anytime
Earth Sciences, Instrumentation and Facilities
The Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR/IF) supports meritorious requests for infrastructure that promotes research and education in areas supported by the Division. EAR/IF will consider proposals for the acquisition or upgrade of research equipment that will advance laboratory and field investigations, and student research training opportunities in the Earth sciences.
- Award amount: $500,000, 30-50 awards
- Submission deadline: Proposals accepted anytime
Facility and Instrumentation Request Process (Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences)
The Facility and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP) solicitation describes the mechanism by which the research community can propose projects that require access to instrumentation and facilities sponsored by the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Program in the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS). FARE provides funding support to a variety of organizations to make specialized instrumentation and facilities available to the atmospheric science research community through the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF) and the Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) programs. FIRP allows for parallel evaluation of intellectual merit and broader impacts along with the feasibility of the proposed project.
- Award amount: in FY21, 5-15 awards from $10M-$20M budget
- Submission deadline: January
Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity)
The Capacity Program focuses on building capacity in research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to a wide range of researchers in three programmatic areas: Cyberinfrastructure, Biological Collections, and Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories. This program will also accept proposals for planning activities or workshops to facilitate coordination that may be necessary in building capacity in infrastructure that meets the needs of a research community. Award amount: FY2021, 50-75 awards made from a total budget of $18-$20M million
- Award amount: The size and duration of any individual request should be justified by the amount and complexity of the work to be accomplished. As a rule, the larger the budget, the greater the expected impact on the biological research community.
- Submission deadline: Proposals accepted anytime
Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research Program (Innovation)
Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation) supports research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. The Innovation Program focuses on research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to researchers in three programmatic areas: Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, and Research Methods. Infrastructure supported by this program is expected to advance biological understanding by improving scientists’ abilities to manipulate, control, analyze, or measure critical aspects of biological systems, which can be essential for addressing important fundamental research questions.
- Award amount: 20-40 awards made from a total budget of $18-$20M million
- Submission deadline: Proposals accepted anytime
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
The MRI Program serves to increase access to shared instrumentation for scientific and engineering research and research training. This program especially seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering by supporting proposals for shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments. Harvard may submit only three proposals for the NSF MRI competition. If three proposals are submitted, at least one of the proposals must be for instrument development (i.e., no more than two proposals may be for instrument acquisition).
- Award amount: Track 1: $100,000 - $1M; Track 2: $1M to $4M
- Submission deadline: January
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1)
Within Mid-scale RI-1, proposers may submit two types of projects, "Implementation" and "Design". Design and Implementation projects may comprise any combination of equipment, infrastructure, computational hardware and software, and necessary commissioning. Design includes planning (preliminary and final design) of research infrastructure with an anticipated total project cost that is appropriate for future Mid-scale RI-1, Mid-scale RI-2 or MREFC-class investments. Mid-scale RI-1 uses an inclusive definition of implementation, which can include traditional stand-alone construction or acquisition and can include a degree of advanced development leading immediately to final system acquisition and/or construction. Implementation projects may support new or upgraded research infrastructure.
- Award amount: $600k - $20M
- Submission deadline: January 2023 (every two years)
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 (Mid-scale RI-2)
The NSF Mid-scale RI-2 program supports implementation of projects that comprise any combination of equipment, instrumentation, computational hardware and software, and the necessary commissioning and human capital in support of implementation of the same. Mid-scale RI-2 projects will directly enable advances in any of the research domains supported by NSF, including STEM education. Mid-scale RI-2 will support projects in high states of readiness for implementation, i.e., those that have already matured through previous developmental investments. Projects may also include upgrades to existing research infrastructure.
- Award amount: $20M - $70M
- Submission deadline: February 2023 (every two years)
Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support
Oceanographic facilities and equipment awards are made for the procurement, conversion and/or up-grade, enhancement or annual operation of platforms in the ocean, coastal, near-shore and Great Lakes. Awards are generally directed specifically to support facilities that lend themselves to shared use within the broad range of federally-supported research and education programs. Individual project-based facilities and instrumentation, limited to one or a small group of investigators, should be supported through appropriate research programs, including: Ship Operations, Oceanographic Technical Services, Oceanographic Instrumentation, Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment, Ship Acquisition and Upgrade, and Other Facility Activities.
- Award amount: $5k-$8.5M, 10 to 75 awards
- Submission deadline: December 15 annually
Sustaining Infrastructure for Biological Research (Sustaining)
The Sustaining Infrastructure for Biological Research (Sustaining) Program supports the continued operation of existing research infrastructure that advances contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) at NSF. The Sustaining Program focuses primarily on sustaining critical research infrastructure that is cyberinfrastructure or biological living stocks and that is broadly applicable to a wide range of researchers. Projects are expected to ensure continued availability of existing, mature resources that will enable important science outcomes achieved by users representing a broad range of research supported by BIO and its collaborating organizations.
- Award amount: 40-80 awards made from a total budget of $40 million
- Submission deadline: Proposals accepted anytime
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH S10 Instrumentation Program
ORIP's S10 Instrumentation Grant Programs support purchases of state-of-the-art commercially available instruments to enhance research of NIH–funded investigators. Every instrument awarded by an S10 grant is used on a shared basis, which makes the programs cost-efficient and beneficial to thousands of investigators in hundreds of institutions nationwide. To be eligible for an S10 award, an institution must identify three or more Principal Investigators with active NIH research awards who demonstrate the substantial need for the requested instrument. Awards are issued for one year, and matching funds are not required. However, ORIP expects institutions that compete for S10 awards to provide an appropriate level of support for associated infrastructure, such as space to house the instrument, technical personnel, and post-award service contracts for instrument maintenance and operation.
Special Conditions Apply: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG)
- Amount: $25,000-$250,000
- Submission deadline: June
Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG)
- Amount: $50,000-$600,000
- Submission deadline: June
High-end Instrumentation Grant (HEI)
- Amount: $600,001-$2,000,000
- Submission deadline: June
Supports purchase and installation of advanced equipment to enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of biomedical research facilities. This opportunity is a limited submission.
- Award amount: $10,000-$400,000
- Submission deadline: December 2021
Department of Defense
Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
DURIP is 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. This award provides support to purchase instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD. The program is administered by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Each year, ARO, ONR, AFOSR publish separate FOAs, please check grants.gov
- Award amount: $50,000-$1,500,000
- Deadline for submission: May
DoD Research and Education Program for HBCUs/MSIs Equipment/Instrumentation
This solicitation invites applications (also referred to as “proposals”) for acquisition of equipment/instrumentation to be used in research areas of interest to the Agencies and to enhance the education of students in areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that correlate with the Agencies’ research interests.
- Award amount: $100,000-$600,000
- Submission deadline: August
Other Federal Agencies
Department of Energy (DOE)
Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP)
The Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP) was established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to grant surplus and available used laboratory equipment to full-time faculty at universities and colleges in the United States for use in energy oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational programs. This program is managed by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS). The listing of equipment available through LEDP is updated as new equipment is identified. It is available at no cost for a limited time and is granted on a first received qualified application basis.
- Submission deadline: Rolling
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Planetary Major Equipment and Facilities (PMEF)
This program allows proposals for new or upgraded nonflight analytical, computational, telescopic, and other instrumentation required by investigations sponsored by the Planetary Science Research Program’s science research programs. A Planetary Major Equipment (PME) proposal may be submitted in one of two ways: (1) as a special section that is appended to an eligible Planetary Science research program; or (2) as a stand-alone equipment proposal submitted to an eligible Planetary Science research program.
- Award amount: No award ceiling provided; requests must exceed $40,000
- Submission deadline: Varies by program of interest