Facility and Instrumentation Request Process

The Facility and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP) is administered by the National Science Foundation through its Directorate for Geosciences, specifically the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences. It provides the atmospheric science research community with access to advanced instrumentation and facilities supported by the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) program. FARE encompasses two primary components: the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF), managed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Wyoming, and the Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF), supported under a separate solicitation. Through FIRP, institutions and researchers can obtain the necessary resources to conduct high-level observational science and educational initiatives that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. The FIRP solicitation organizes proposals into three distinct tracks according to the type and scope of the request. Track 1 is designed for education and outreach projects involving small-scale laboratory or field activities and emphasizes public engagement and student training in observational research. Track 2 supports requests involving a single facility, such as a radar, lidar, or laboratory facility, and may also support small international campaigns with straightforward logistics. Track 3 supports field campaigns requiring multiple facilities or complex planning, such as research aircraft deployments or coordinated remote sensing studies. All proposals must be submitted under the FIRP solicitation when FARE-sponsored assets are required, and applicants must coordinate closely with facility providers and the FARE program. In terms of funding, projects supported under FIRP receive resources from both disciplinary science programs and the FARE program. Research costs, such as salaries, student support, materials, travel, and publications, are covered by the disciplinary programs, while field deployment and usage costs for LAOF and CIF facilities are funded by FARE. The anticipated program budget ranges between $10 million and $20 million, with approximately 5 to 15 awards expected, depending on proposal volume, merit, and program priorities. Awards may be issued as either standard grants or continuing grants. While Track 1 proposals are capped at $75,000 in total costs, including a maximum of $50,000 for facility use, exceptions may be granted for airborne education deployments. Track 2 and Track 3 proposals do not have fixed funding caps. Eligibility to apply follows the general guidance of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. Institutions of higher education, nonprofits, governmental entities, and other eligible organizations are permitted to apply. Unaffiliated individuals, however, are not eligible to submit proposals. Proposals must adhere to NSF’s merit review criteria, focusing on intellectual merit and broader impacts. Track-specific evaluation criteria also apply, such as the educational value and outreach impact of Track 1 proposals or the scientific integration and facility justification for Track 2 and 3 proposals. Applications are accepted at any time, with no fixed deadlines, though timelines for submission vary by track. Track 1 proposals should generally be submitted 9 to 12 months before facility use and no later than 6 months before the requested start date. Track 2 requires proposals 9 to 15 months in advance, and Track 3 ranges from 15 to 24 months depending on the complexity of the deployment. Statements of Interest are recommended or required depending on the track and must be submitted several months prior to the proposal. Facility requests, including cost estimates, must be coordinated with facility providers and uploaded as supplementary documents. Other required documents include experimental design plans, campaign management plans, science traceability matrices, and roles and responsibilities documents for multi-institution campaigns. Awardees must comply with NSF’s reporting requirements, which include annual project reports and a final project report submitted through Research.gov. Data collected with FARE assets must be archived at the NCAR-hosted Geoscience Data Exchange no later than one year after project completion. Contact information for program officers is available for prospective applicants: Nicholas Anderson at (703) 292-4715 (AGS-PDM@nsf.gov), Sylvia Edgerton at (703) 292-8522 (AGS-ATC@nsf.gov), and Eric DeWeaver at (703) 292-8527 (AGS-CLD@nsf.gov). Additional inquiries may be directed to the FARE program via fare@nsf.gov. With no fixed deadlines, FIRP offers continuous access to resources but requires careful long-term planning and coordination with facility providers to ensure feasibility.