Proposal Review Criteria
	
	What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

	How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
	understanding within its own field or across different fields? How
	well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the
	project?  (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality
	of prior work.)  To what extent does the proposed activity suggest
	and explore creative and original concepts?  How well conceived and
	organized is the proposed activity?  Is there sufficient access to
	resources?

	What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

	How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while
	promoting teaching, training, and learning?  How well does the
	proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented
	groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?  To
	what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and
	education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and
	partnerships?  Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance
	scientific and technological understanding? What may be the benefits
	of the proposed activity to society?

	Principal Investigators should address the following elements in
	their proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to
	respond fully to both of the above-described NSF merit review
	criteria.  NSF staff will give these elements careful consideration
	in making funding decisions.

	Integration of Research and Education

	One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to
	foster integration of research and education through the programs,
	projects and activities it supports at academic and research
	institutions.  These institutions provide abundant opportunities
	where individuals may concurrently assume responsibilities as
	researchers, educators, and students and where all can engage in
	joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery
	and enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.

	Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities

	Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
	citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons
	with disabilities -- are essential to the health and vitality of
	science and engineering.  NSF is committed to this principle of
	diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and
	activities it considers and supports.

	Additional Considerations

	In addition to the evaluation criteria stated above, NSF will
	consider the following factors in making MRI awards:

	?   Instrument development with a private sector partner;

	?   The ability to demonstrate the shared use of the instruments for
	research and/or research training;

	?   Whether the research and/or research training served by the
	instrumentation advances the goals and aligns with the goals and core
	strategies articulated in the Foundation's strategic plan (available
	on the NSF homepage at );

	?   Commitment of the MRI program to supporting quality proposals
	from non-Ph.D. granting and minority-serving institutions;

	?   Geographic distribution and distribution across Ph.D. and
	non-Ph.D. granting institutions; and

	?    Management plans for oversight of acquisition of instruments to
	be developed by third parties.