U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce this limited submission funding opportunity/award. Limited submission programs allow only a select number of applicants from each institution.

All interested PIs must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) through the UConn Quest Portal by the deadline listed below to be considered.

If the number of NOIs exceeds the sponsor’s limit, an internal competition will be conducted (see full process on our website). If the number of NOIs does not exceed the limit, eligible PIs who submitted an NOI by the deadline will be reviewed and typically approved to move forward.

Only PIs selected and approved by OVPR are eligible to submit to the sponsor.

THIS LIMITED SUBMISSION COMPETITION IS BEING RUN ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT A NEW, REASONABLY SIMILAR SOLICITATION FOR THE NSF MRI IS FORTHCOMING. IF THE NEW SOLICITATION DIFFERS SIGNIFICANTLY FROM PRIOR GUIDELINES OR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, OVPR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE OR RESTART THE INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS ACCORDINGLY.

Program Information: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/mri-major-research-instrumentation-program/nsf23-519/solicitation

Quest Portal Link: https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/NSF-MRI_FY27

Keywords: state-of-the art research instrumentation, shared/multi-user instruments, distributed/networked instruments, acquisition projects, development projects

Award Details: Awards are categorized into 3 tracks: Track 1 ($100K-$1.3M), Track 2 ($1.4M-$4M), and Track 3 ($100K-$4M).

Number of UConn Applicants:  4 UConn – 4 UCH (For each campus, no more than 2 submissions of Track 1 proposals, no more than 1 submission of Track 2 proposals, and no more than 1 submission of Track 3 proposals) Limit includes both proposals where UConn/UConn Health is the lead institution or a significantly funded sub awardee.

Internal NOI Deadline: Monday, 7/6/2026 by 12 noon

Internal Pre-proposal (if necessary) Deadline: Monday, 7/27/2026 by 12 noon

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: 11/16/2026, 5 p.m. ET

Program information: An MRI proposal may request support for the acquisition or development of a research instrument or components that when combined serve as an integrated research instrument. An MRI-supported instrument is intended to serve multiple users both in research and in the training of the next generation of instrument users and/or developers. 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.

Cost sharing should be waived for the calendar year 2026 submission.

Internal Competition Information: If a full internal competition is necessary, pre-proposals should be submitted that include:

1. A two-page project narrative briefly describing the project, its key aims/objectives, the methodologies/approaches that will be used, and how the project goals align with the goals of the program. Please see the sponsor guidelines for details about program goals and application components.
2. 1–2-page budget overview with justifications.
3. Biosketches/brief CVs for key personnel.

For more information about the limited submission process, please check out our FAQ page.

For additional assistance, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Research at research@uconn.edu.

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Submissions to this program are made via a third-party software application, SurveyMonkey Apply. The terms of use and privacy statements for this software apply to your use of it and to the information you provide in your application.  Before proceeding with your submission, please review their terms and privacy statements linked below.