Equipment Funding Opportunities

A proposal for specialized equipment may be submitted by an organization for: individual investigators; groups of investigators within the same department; several departments; organization(s) participating in a collaborative or joint arrangement; any components of an organization; or a region. One individual must be designated as PI. Investigators may be working in closely related areas, or their research may be multidisciplinary. See Chapter II.D.10 of the NSF PAPPG for more information.
Deadline: Varies based on solicitation

Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)

The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations. An MRI award 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. MRI provides support to acquire critical research instrumentation without which advances in fundamental science and engineering research may not otherwise occur. MRI also provides support to develop next-generation research instruments that open new opportunities to advance the frontiers in science and engineering research. Additionally, an MRI award is expected to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers and builders. Cost sharing of precisely 30% of the total project cost is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations. National Science Board policy prohibits voluntary committed cost sharing.

Deadline: Proposals may be submitted between October 15 and November 14, 2025

The Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation for the Astronomical Sciences (ATI) program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for development of new technologies and instrumentation for astronomy and astrophysics. The program supports overarching science objectives of the Division of Astronomical Sciences. Development of innovative, potentially transformative technologies are encouraged, even at high technical risk. Supported categories include but are not limited to advanced technology development, concept feasibility studies, and specialized instrumentation to enable new observations that are difficult or impossible to obtain with existing means. Proposals may include hardware and/or software development and/or analysis to enable new types of astronomical observations. Access to the ATI supported technology and instrumentation development efforts by the US astronomical community is viewed as an important metric of success. An annual Principal Investigators meeting is planned to disseminate information between the funded research efforts. 

Deadline: Proposals may be submitted between October 1 and November 15 (annually)

Oceanographic facilities and equipment are supported by the Integrative Programs Section (IPS) of the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE), Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). These awards are made for the procurement, conversion and/or upgrade, enhancement, or annual operation of platforms in the ocean, coastal and near-shore waters, 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. Most of these platforms and facilities also receive partial support from other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private sources on a proportional basis usually through a daily rate mechanism. The primary objective of these awards is to ensure the availability of appropriate oceanographic facilities for Federally funded investigators and educators. Individual project-based facilities and instrumentation, limited to one, or a small group of, investigator(s), should be supported through appropriate research programs as opposed to through the IPS programs listed herein.

The individual programs covered within this solicitation include:
1. Oceanographic Technical Services (OTS)
2. Oceanographic Instrumentation (OI)
3. Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE)

Deadline: January 12, 2026; January 10 (annually thereafter)

The Infrastructure Capacity for Biology (ICB) supports the development, expansion, or improvement of infrastructure that will enable fundamental research within the biological sciences. Infrastructure supported under this solicitation may include cyberinfrastructure, instrumentation, biological collections, living stocks, field stations, marine labs, or other resources that are shared and openly accessible. Proposals submitted to the ICB solicitation must make a compelling case that the proposed infrastructure will advance or transform research in areas of science that are supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) at the National Science Foundation. While other programs in the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) focus on innovative research leading to new infrastructure or sustained operation of mature infrastructure, this solicitation focuses on supporting projects that seek to deliver, enable access to, or substantially improve infrastructure that will advance the capacity today scientific community to conduct leading edge research. The impacts of the activities funded by awards made through this solicitation will be reflected not just in the quality of their products, but by the novel and transformative science outcomes that will be achieved by the users of these resources. Infrastructure projects that will advance any field of research supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences are eligible for support.

Deadline: Full proposals accepted anytime

The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research Program (Innovation) supports research to design novel or greatly improve 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. Proposals submitted to these programmatic areas can do one of three things to advance or transform research in biology: develop novel infrastructure, significantly redesign existing infrastructure, or adapt existing infrastructure in novel ways. Projects are expected to have a significant application to one or more biological science questions and have the potential to be used by a community of researchers beyond a single research team.

Deadline: Full proposals accepted anytime

The National Facilities program supports the operation of national user facilities: National Facilities are research facilities with specialized instrumentation available to the scientific research community in general and the materials research community in particular. These facilities provide unique research capabilities that can be located at only a few highly specialized laboratories in the Nation. They provide open user service for scientists and engineers from a broad range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, geosciences, materials research, and physics. They include facilities and resources for research using high magnetic fields, ultraviolet and x-ray synchrotron radiation, neutron scattering, and nanofabrication. They serve as science and technology-related resources and experiences for students. They conduct student and teacher education, general public awareness activities, curriculum development, and educational research. 

Deadline: Full proposals accepted anytime

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 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. See the full solicitation (linked above) for more details.

Deadline: Full proposals accepted anytime

Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites eligible academic or research institutions to apply for funding support to purchase latest scientific equipment that will enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of existing shared biomedical research facilities. Targeted are laboratory research core facilities, animal research facilities, and other similar shared-use research spaces. The goal of this NOFO is to strengthen research-auxiliary activities of biomedical research facilities and to enhance the efficiency of their operations. This NOFO does not support the purchase of scientific research instruments or their components, nor components of building-level infrastructure equipment that indirectly support research activities.
Deadline: September 25, 2025; September 25, 2026

The Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) invites grant applications from core facilities, resource centers, animal vivaria, or individual investigators of other shared resources to systematically study the roles of critical environmental extrinsic factors in biological, behavioral, and treatment studies using animal model species, with the objective of enhancing the rigor and reproducibility of animal research. The research area must be broadly applicable to the scientific interests of two or more NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs) and must evaluate the biological processes that impact multiple organ systems in order to align with the ORIP’s NIH-wide mission and programs. The program supports the acquisition or update of modern equipment for measuring, monitoring, recording, and reporting environmental, biological, or biobehavioral variables. The equipment requested must be capable of recording and reporting multiple parameters simultaneously.
Deadline: September 25, 2025; September 25, 2026

These grants are not for a specific research project, but rather for resources to allow more research to be done. They support institutions with the potential for more participation in childhood cancer clinical trials, but which currently lack necessary resources (primarily support for Clinical Research Associates). Preference is given to institutions with high needs and low philanthropic support in geographical areas where St. Baldrick's funds are raised. Institutions which do not currently receive other St. Baldrick's grants are also given preference. For infrastructure grants, the typical deadline for LOIs is early July, decisions are made by August, and full applications may then be submitted by late August or early September. Awards average $25,000 to $50,000.

Deadline: July 8, 2025 (for LOIs); August 28, 2025 (for full proposals)