Limited-Submission Grants

Overview

Limited-submission programs restrict the number of annual submissions allowed per institution. For full consideration faculty should submit pre-proposals to RSP by the deadline for internal review and selection.

Pre-Proposal Deadlines

Program	Number of proposals allowed per institution	Pre-proposal due to RSP@wwu.edu
Murdock Trust Scientific Research Instrumentation Program	1	March 20, 2026
NSF-MRI	2 (Track 1) 1 (Track 3, He reduction)	May 15, 2026
NSF-EAR		TBD
W.M. Keck Foundation	1 per cycle	Feb 15; May 15

Pre-proposals received after the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Pre-Proposal Review

Pre-proposals will be reviewed by an ad-hoc committee consisting of faculty experienced with instrumentation grants, the dean(s) of the involved colleges, and the Vice Provost for Research.

Pre-proposals should address the following within 1-2 pages:

Names of PIs and co-PIs, description of the instrument, and approximate cost.
Why this proposal should be a priority for Western.
If the project will require significant space or other resources, teams should consult with the provider(s) of those resources and obtain their agreement.
Any special considerations: e.g., reasons why this proposal is better submitted in this cycle rather than a future one.

Appended documents, outside the 2-page limit:

SciENcv biosketches for PIs and co-PIs.
If the proposal will be a resubmission, include reviewers’ comments from the most recent submission and a narrative describing plans to address them.
If the proposed instrumentation is expected to be housed in a space outside the PIs lab (e.g. AMSEC, STS, department space, etc.), a brief letter of support must be included.

Murdock Scientific Research Instrumentation Grant

Funding is intended to support scientific research in the form of major scientific instrumentation.

Timeline: Western is eligible to submit a proposal as often as once every three years to the Murdock Charitable Trust Scientific Research Instrumentation Program. Our window to submit a Letter of Inquiry opens again this June (and effectively remains open until used). Teams interested in submitting a Letter of Inquiry are invited to prepare 1-2 page pre-proposals and submit to RSP@wwu.edu by March 20, 2026. If more than one pre-proposal is received, one will be selected to go forward following the review process described below. Notifications will be sent to teams by April 15, allowing time to revise and resubmit unselected pre-proposals as NSF-MRI projects if teams choose to. If no Murdock pre-proposals are received by the deadline the slot will be allocated on a first-come basis.

Matching: Awards from the Murdock Trust require a dollar-for-dollar match. Matching funds need not necessarily be in-hand at the time the proposal is submitted (the match needs to be available before spending can begin), but teams will need to have identified proposed source(s) and a realistic strategy, typically by combining multiple sources.

Teams can request support from Western's Fraser Endowment for Equipment in the Sciences as a potential source of institutional matching funds, which is currently able to provide up to approximately $100k-$150k for this purpose. Proposals to the Fraser fund are competitive and reviewed by the RCA Council, which makes funding recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research. Teams requesting Fraser funds in support of a Murdock Trust proposal should contact RSP for guidance and indicate so in their pre-proposal budget. Teams need only submit one pre-proposal (to RSP@wwu.edu) and if Fraser funds are requested, RSP will share the proposal with the RCA Council for review of that element.

National Science Foundation: Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)

The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education and not-for-profit scientific/engineering research organizations. An MRI award supports the acquisition or development of a multi-user research instrument that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs.

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. Additionally, an MRI award is expected to enhance research training of students who will become the next generation of instrument users, designers and builders.

An MRI proposal may request from NSF up to $4 million for either acquisition or development of a research instrument. WWU may submit no more than two (2) submissions in Track 1 and no more than one (1) submission in Track 2. For the newly defined Track 3, no more than one (1) submission per competition is permitted.

Cost sharing requirements for new awards in the MRI Program are waived for a period of 5 years beginning with the FY 2023 MRI competition.

Keck Foundation Scientific Research Grant

The W. M. Keck Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting Medical Research and Science & Engineering projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field.

Past grants have been awarded to major universities, independent research institutions, and medical schools to support pioneering biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation or methodologies. Grants range from $1 million to $5 million and are typically $2 million or less.

Prior Equipment Awards

Year	Funder	Instrument	Award size (1000s)
2024	Murdock Trust	Isotopic Water Analyzer	$181
2023	MRI	DSC	$174
2022	EAR	micro-CT	$535
2022	MRI	Zetasizer particle size analyzer	$121
2021	EAR	Germanium gamma detector	$125
2020	MRI	Laser confocal microscope	$681
2020	MRI	Raman microscope	$295
2019	MRI	LC-MS	$500
2019	Murdock Trust	MALDI-TOF	$319
2015	MRI	NMR (500 MHz)	$503
2015	Murdock Trust	Jeol SEM	$272
2014	MRI	single-crystal XRD	$300
2013	MRI	Transcranial magnetic stimulator	$198
2012	MRI	AFM	$243

NEH Summer Fellowship

The federal government cancelled this program for the summer of 2025. As of April 2025, the NEH website indicates that it will not be reoffered and the opportunity was removed from Grants.gov. WWU intends to nominate the 2024 candidate again for the summer of 2026 should the program be reinstated.