Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 | 22 637

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 637

The NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1) grant opportunity is designed to fill a funding gap for research infrastructure projects that are too large for NSF's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program but not large enough to be treated as NSF Major Facilities. It sits under NSF's broader "Big Ideas" investment strategy, which aims to keep the United States competitive in global science and engineering by supporting cross-disciplinary, convergence-style research. Although proposals are submitted through NSF's Office of Integrative Activities, they are reviewed and managed by a cross-disciplinary group of NSF program directors, reflecting the program's intent to serve research communities that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

At its core, Mid-scale RI-1 supports the creation or advancement of research infrastructure (RI), which NSF defines broadly as facilities, equipment, instrumentation, and computational hardware or software, along with the people and expertise needed to make that infrastructure usable and productive. In practical terms, projects might involve acquiring or building specialized instruments, developing or expanding cyberinfrastructure, commissioning systems that enable new experiments, or curating and enabling access to broadly used large-scale datasets, provided those datasets function as shared infrastructure for a community. A key theme is that these investments should enable capabilities that are genuinely difficult to achieve through smaller, single-investigator equipment programs, while also not rising to the scale and complexity of a major facility project.

The program offers two tracks: Implementation and Design. Implementation proposals focus on acquisition, construction, integration, and commissioning of infrastructure that is ready to be built or deployed, including the staffing and expertise required to successfully bring the capability online for users. These Implementation projects must have a total project cost of at least $4 million and less than $20 million (with the listed award ceiling at $19,999,999). Design proposals, by contrast, support the planning and engineering work needed to reach a level of readiness for a future mid-scale implementation effort. Design awards are meant to support activities like technical design, systems engineering, prototyping and risk reduction, cost and schedule refinement, governance and operations planning, and other pre-implementation work that turns an idea into a buildable, executable project. Design proposals must request at least $400,000 and are generally described as being under $4 million, but the solicitation also notes they may request up to but not including $20 million "as appropriate" to prepare for a future mid-scale implementation project, emphasizing that budgets should match the scope and needs of the design effort. Importantly, getting a Design award does not guarantee NSF will later fund Implementation, and submitting an Implementation proposal does not require a prior Design award.

NSF emphasizes that Mid-scale RI-1 projects should be compelling on scientific and community-need grounds, not just technically impressive. Successful proposals are expected to demonstrate strong scientific merit, a clear and documented need within a research community (or a national need), and a credible argument that the resulting capability will help U.S. researchers remain globally competitive. This is not simply a procurement program; proposals are evaluated on how the infrastructure will unlock new research directions or significantly accelerate discovery and innovation across a user base.

Because mid-scale infrastructure can be complex, the solicitation stresses the importance of well-developed technical and management plans for both tracks. Projects are expected to show they can be executed responsibly, with appropriate risk management, realistic schedules and budgets, sound governance, and clear roles and responsibilities. NSF points applicants to the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG), which provides definitions and guidance for mid-scale projects and includes expectations for a Project Execution Plan (PEP). The PEP is intended to be scaled to the complexity of the project, meaning it should be thorough enough to inspire confidence without including unnecessary components that do not fit the project's size or risk profile.

A major priority of Mid-scale RI-1 is workforce development and broadening participation. Projects are expected to include meaningful training opportunities for a diverse STEM workforce involved in the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of research infrastructure. NSF calls for concrete plans for mentoring, professional development, and student training, and it strongly encourages participation by women, early-career researchers, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups in STEM at all levels of the project team. The program also explicitly encourages proposers to incorporate accessibility into infrastructure design and implementation so that research participation is improved for people with disabilities, rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.

The program also aims to broaden the distribution of awards across institutions and geography. NSF signals interest in expanding the representation of principal investigators and organizations in its portfolio, including institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. Collaborative proposals and partnerships among institutions are encouraged, especially when they expand community access, distribute benefits, or bring complementary expertise together to execute a complex infrastructure effort.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a discretionary NSF grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 22-637) with an award ceiling just under $20 million and an expected number of about 10 awards for the referenced cycle. The original closing date listed is May 5, 2023. The eligible applicant category is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details provided in the full solicitation, which is typical for NSF infrastructure programs that may involve a range of U.S.-based institutions and collaborative structures.

Finally, the solicitation draws a clear boundary around budget scale: projects whose total costs exceed the Mid-scale RI-1 limits are directed to the separate Mid-scale RI-2 program, and proposals that come in over the RI-1 cap, either at submission or after subsequent cost revisions, may be returned without review. This makes early budgeting discipline and cost realism especially important when planning a mid-scale infrastructure proposal.

• 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, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 04, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 05, 2023. (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).

Apply for 22 637

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: