Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 | 21 505

Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 505

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1) program is a grant opportunity designed to fund research infrastructure projects that fall in the middle cost range between NSF's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program and its very large Major Facilities investments. It sits under NSF's broader "Big Ideas" initiative, launched in 2016 to push U.S. leadership at the frontiers of science and engineering through convergence research and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Although proposals are submitted through NSF's Office of Integrative Activities, they are reviewed and managed by an across-disciplinary team of NSF program directors, reflecting the program's intent to support infrastructure that benefits broad research communities and multiple fields.

In this solicitation, "research infrastructure" is defined broadly as facilities, equipment, instrumentation, cyberinfrastructure (computing hardware/software), large-scale datasets, and the specialized people and capabilities needed to make that infrastructure work. The core goal is to create or advance unique, compelling mid-scale capabilities that fill a research community-defined scientific need or enable a national research priority. In practical terms, Mid-scale RI-1 is meant to give U.S. researchers access to advanced experimental or computational capabilities that are too large for typical instrumentation programs but not at the scale of a major national facility, helping the United States remain globally competitive in cutting-edge research areas.

The program supports two project types: Implementation and Design. Implementation awards support the actual acquisition, construction, upgrade, commissioning, and initial operational readiness of mid-scale infrastructure. These projects can include equipment and instruments, computing and data systems, broadly used datasets, and the staffing required to bring the capability online successfully. Design awards support the work needed to prepare a potential mid-scale infrastructure project for future implementation, such as engineering and technical design, project planning, risk assessment, and other readiness-building activities. A key point is that receiving a Design award does not guarantee NSF will later fund the Implementation phase, and applicants do not need to have had a Design award in order to submit an Implementation proposal.

Funding levels are tied to the track. Implementation projects must have a total project cost from $6 million up to (but not including) $20 million, with an award ceiling listed as $19,999,999. Design projects may request less than $6 million, but not less than $600,000, and can also go up to just under $20 million when justified by the scope of design activities needed to reach implementation readiness. NSF anticipated making around 10 awards under the referenced cycle. The opportunity is a discretionary NSF grant in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category, with multiple CFDA program numbers listed to reflect NSF's cross-directorate scope.

Mid-scale RI-1 places heavy emphasis on strong scientific justification and clear evidence that the infrastructure responds to a defined community need or national priority. Proposals are expected to include well-developed technical and management plans appropriate to the complexity of the project. NSF also expects detailed planning for workforce development: training students and involving a diverse workforce in the design, build, deployment, and commissioning of the infrastructure. Beyond the project itself, NSF signals that it wants a broad and geographically diverse award portfolio, including participation from EPSCoR jurisdictions and from principal investigators who are women, early-career researchers, members of underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities. For investigators with disabilities, NSF encourages inclusion of Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) support within the proposal budget, as long as the total request (base budget plus any FASED) stays within the program's funding cap.

Finally, NSF directs applicants to consult the NSF Major Facilities Guide for definitions and planning expectations relevant to mid-scale infrastructure, including guidance on a Project Execution Plan (PEP). The PEP is expected to be scaled to the project, meaning it should match the complexity and risk profile rather than mechanically including every element used for much larger facility projects. Projects that exceed the Mid-scale RI-1 upper budget limit are not handled under this program and instead fall under the separately solicited Mid-scale RI-2 program.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 06, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $19,999,999.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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