Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²)  

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PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Solicitation  09-562

Important Notice to Proposers

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 13-1, was issued on October 4, 2012 and is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 14, 2013. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 13-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.

Please be aware that significant changes have been made to the PAPPG to implement revised merit review criteria based on the National Science Board (NSB) report, National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revisions. While the two merit review criteria remain unchanged (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), guidance has been provided to clarify and improve the function of the criteria. Changes will affect the project summary and project description sections of proposals. Annual and final reports also will be affected.

A by-chapter summary of this and other significant changes is provided at the beginning of both the Grant Proposal Guide and the Award & Administration Guide.

DUE DATES

Current but no Longer Receiving Proposals

SYNOPSIS

Scientific discoveries are emerging at an accelerated pace, presenting new frontiers for exploration, stimulating innovation and economic growth, and driving the development of new tools and systems to support research. Likewise, the convergence of disciplines and the cross-fertilization that characterized contemporary science and engineering have made collaboration a centerpiece of the 21^st century science and engineering enterprise. As new scientific opportunities and processes have emerged, the Nation's research facility requirements have also evolved and changed.  In 2005, NSF estimated that academic institutions then had at least $3.6 billion in deferred projects to repair and renovate science and engineering research facilities (FY05 Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities.) As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NSF will invest $200 million in the Nation's research facilities and research training infrastructure.  This investment will advance the science and engineering research enterprise at many institutions.

The purpose of this program is to enhance the Nation's existing research facilities where sponsored and/or unsponsored research activities and research training take place to enable next-generation research infrastructure that integrates shared resources across user communities. Consistent with NSF's mission to strengthen the U.S. science and engineering enterprise, the ARI-R² program will:

• Update existing research facilities at institutions of higher education (including graduate and undergraduate institutions, among which are included community colleges) and other non-profit research organizations (e.g., independent research museums, independent research laboratories, and research consortia) in order to support research that can address the challenges of the 21^st century.
• Enable academic departments, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary units, or multi-organization consortia to renovate research facilities through the addition or augmentation of cyberinfrastructure, other than general-purpose computing systems or data storage systems, to create environments that enhance research and integrate research with education.
• Improve access to and increase use of next-generation research facilities for researchers, educators and students.
• Assist research organizations, including those that have historically received limited Federal research and development funds, to improve their science and engineering research environments.

RELATED URLS

OIA's ARI Home Page

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)

Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

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