This MRI program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering by providing shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments. ORSP will conduct a review process to select up to three pre-proposals for advancement into full proposals to NSF.

Pre-proposals are due to UM ORSP (jghale@olemiss.edu) by December 4, 2014 for this limited funding opportunity. Time permitting, and on a first-come, first-served basis, ORSP pre-reviews will be conducted on complete pre-proposals received before the internal due date. Proposers may then have time to make changes to their pre-proposals to incorporate pre-review feedback before the internal due date.

Key Dates (2014-15):
Friday, Nov. 7:                         Date of this announcement

Thursday, Dec. 4:                   Internal pre-proposals due to jghale@olemiss.edu

Dec 5 – Dec. 11:                      ORSP will coordinate review of pre-proposals
Friday, Dec. 12:                       ORSP will announce which pre-proposals
to move forward
Dec 13 – Jan. 15:                     Investigators expand pre-proposals into full proposals
Thursday, Jan 15:                   All full proposal documents (including transmittal) due to ORSP
Thursday, Jan 22:                   Full proposal deadline to NSF

Funding:         
Up to 160 awards of $100K – $4M for project periods of up to 3 years (acquisitions) or 5 years (development). Proposals of less than $100K are OK for mathematics, or social, behavioral, and economic sciences. For acquisitions: at least 70% of total project cost must fall under the Equipment category; grant funds may only be spent on equipment.

Cost Sharing:   Required at a level of (precisely) 30% of the total cost of the project.


Limitations:     UM may submit up to 3 proposals, of which only 2 may be for acquisition.

Format:           
Use the UM ORSP MRI Internal Pre-Proposal document (MS Word doc) attached to this announcement, which follows the format described in the solicitation. Include: Cover sheet (1 page); Project Summary (1 page); Abbreviated Project Description (5-7 pages); Budget and Justification (1 page); and Results from Previous NSF MRI Submission (1 page).
Please read the entire Solicitation at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=5260&ods_key=nsf15504

Recent UM History with NSF MRI:

For 2014’s competition, ORSP received 1 development pre-proposal and 3 acquisition pre-proposals. Of these, 2 acquisition pre-proposals and 1 development pre-proposal were selected and developed into full proposals to NSF; however, none were funded.

The most recent NSF MRI awards to UM:

• 2013. Award No CHE-1338056, “MRI:  Acquisition of a GPU Cluster for Computational Science in Mississippi,” PI: Greg Tschumper; Co-PIs: Brian Hopkins, and Robert Doerksen.
• 2011. Award No DBI-1126379, “MRI: Acquisition of an Imaging Flow Cytometer for Multidisciplinary Organic and Inorganic Particle Research and Education,” PI: Cliff Ochs; Co-PIs: Richard Buchholz, Tamar|Goulet; Jason Hoeksema.
• 2009. Award No CBET-0923080, “MRI: Acquisition of a High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer for the Mid-South Region,” PI: Jim Czizdiel; Co-PIs: Wei-Yin Chen, Gregg Davidson, Marge Holland, Cliff Ochs.