Scientists left in the dark by National Science Foundation grant application delays
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-left-in-the-dark-by-national-science-foundation-grant-application-delays/
Scientists left in the dark by National Science Foundation grant application delays
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-left-in-the-dark-by-national-science-foundation-grant-application-delays/
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A major federal grant program that helps researchers purchase scientific equipment has seemingly gone dark, leaving scientists unsure of whether they will be able to apply for funding.
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program provides funding for state-of-the-art, often expensive equipment that researchers use to perform fundamental science and engineering experiments. These could be for kits such as clusters of GPUs to power research into artificial intelligence, which can run into the millions of dollars to buy and install, or highly specialized lasers or microscopes. Grant applicants can ask for up to $4 million, and they must demonstrate that the equipment will be used by several groups or experiments—a condition that can make the submission process more complicated than for other grants.
In a statement released last year, the NSF said it planned to accept submissions in 2026 between October 15 and November 16. But the proposed opening date, October 15, has come and gone.