Earth Sciences: Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF)

General Information

The Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR/IF) supports meritorious requests for infrastructure that promote research and education in areas supported by the Division (see here). EAR/IF will consider proposals for:

• Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment that will advance laboratory and field investigations and student research training opportunities in the Earth sciences.  The maximum request is $500,000. The maximum request for upgrade of research group computing facilities remains $75,000.
• Development of New Instrumentation, Techniques or Software that will extend current research and research training capabilities in the Earth sciences.  The maximum request is $500,000.
• Community Facility Support to make complex and expensive instruments, systems of instruments or services broadly available to the Earth science research and student communities. There are no maximum request limitations but potential proposers of new Community Facilities must contact cognizant Program Officers before submission.

Planned research uses of requested instruments, software, and facilities must include basic research on Earth processes SUPPORTED BY CORE PROGRAMS OR SPECIAL PROGRAMS OF THE DIVISION OF EARTH SCIENCES (see here for a current list of programs funded by the Division of Earth Sciences).

Support is available through grants or cooperative agreements awarded in response to investigator-initiated proposals.

Human resource development and education are expected to be an integral part of all proposals submitted to EAR/IF.

Efforts to support participation of underrepresented groups in laboratory and/or field instrument use and training are encouraged.  Proposals from early career (tenure track but untenured) lead investigators are also encouraged.  Such proposals will be given due consideration as part of the Broader Impacts merit review criterion.  

All proposers to EAR/IF are encouraged to consider Support of Outreach and/or Broadening Participation Activities.  Proposals submitted to the EAR/IF Program may request up to $20,000 for such activities (please refer to Sections V.A Proposal Preparation Instructions and V.B Budgetary Information). Proposals for Community Facility Support are excluded from the $20,000 maximum for outreach and broadening participation activities.

Proposals requesting equipment, infrastructure or personnel that will also serve disciplines outside the Earth sciences may be jointly reviewed with other programs within the Foundation. EAR/IF will consider co-funding of projects with other NSF programs and other agencies. Potential applications who consider joint review a possibility for their proposal are encouraged to contact the relevant program officer to discuss this possibility.