For a PDF version of this announcement, click: http://www.research.olemiss.edu/sites/default/files/ORSP-Announce-NSF-MRI-2016-v5.pdf. 

NSF MRI 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 for this limited funding opportunity. Internal Notice of Itent is due to ORSP on Sept. 23. Pre-proposals are due to ORSP on October 5, 2016.

Key Dates (2016-17):
Thursday, Aug 25:                 Date of this announcement

Friday, Sept 23:                     Required, non-binding Internal Notice of Intent due via online InfoReady Review Portal: http://olemiss.infoready4.com/ 

Wednesday, Oct 5:                Internal Pre-proposals due via online InfoReady Review Portal: http://olemiss.infoready4.com/ . 
Oct 6 – Oct 13:                         ORSP will coordinate review of pre-proposals
Friday, Oct 14:                         ORSP will announce which pre-proposals
to move forward
Oct 15 – Jan 5:                         Investigators expand selected pre-proposals into full proposals
Wednesday, Jan 4:                All full proposal documents (including transmittal) due to ORSP
Wednesday, Jan 11:              Full proposal deadline to NSF

Funding:          $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 (which translates to 42.86% of the requested amount).


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

Internal Notice of Intent Format: Download and fill out the one-page template at at http://research.olemiss.edu/sites/default/files/ORSP-MRI-NoticeOfIntentFormat-2016for17-v3.docx.  

Internal Pre-Proposal Format:  Download and fill out the template at: http://www.research.olemiss.edu/sites/default/files/ORSP-MRI-PreProposalFormat-2016for17-v5.docx, which mirros the format described in the solicitation. Include: Cover sheet (1 page); Project Summary (1 page); Abbreviated Project Description (5-7 pages); Budget and Justification (2 page); and Results from Previous NSF MRI Submission (if applicable, 1 page). 

The full NSF solicitation can be viewed at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15504/nsf15504.pdf.

The guidelines January 2016 release of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide 16 apply for the NSF competition.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf16001/gpg_print.pdf

Recent UM History with NSF MRI

For 2016’s competition, ORSP received 3 acquisition pre-proposals and zero development pre-proposals. Of these, 2 acquisition pre-proposals were selected and developed into full proposals to NSF, resulting in one award.

 
The most recent NSF MRI awards to UM:

·       2016. Federal Award No 1625813, “MRI:  Acquisition of a Goniometer-Based Light Scattering System for Research and Training at the University of Mississippi”, PI: Adam Smith; Co-PIs: Seongbong Jo, Susan Pedigo, Esteban Urena-Benavides. $110,314.

·       2015. Federal Award No 1532079, “MRI: Acquisition of a Raman Spectrometer for Research and Training at the University of Mississippi”, PI: Nathan Hammer; Co-PI: Charles Hussey. $201,666.

·       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.