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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§1862o–14 Major Research Instrumentation

Title 42 › Chapter 16— NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION › § 1862o–14

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program must be at least $100,000. The usual maximum award is $4,000,000, but if the program gets more than $125,000,000 in a fiscal year the maximum rises to $6,000,000. Grant money can buy instruments and equipment and can also pay to operate and maintain them. Recipients must provide at least 30% of project costs from private or non‑Federal sources. Schools that do not grant Ph.D. degrees are exempt from that cost share. The Director may reduce or waive the 30% requirement for schools that are not in the top 100 Federal R&D recipients (per the Foundation’s data) and whose project will greatly boost research capacity, give undergraduates hands‑on experience with advanced facilities, and broaden participation by the groups named in sections 1885a or 1885b, and for consortia that include at least one non‑Ph.D.-granting school.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §1862o–14

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The minimum amount of an award under the Major Research Instrumentation program shall be $100,000. The maximum amount of an award under the program shall be $4,000,000 except if the total amount appropriated for the program for a fiscal year exceeds $125,000,000, in which case the maximum amount of an award shall be $6,000,000.
(b)In addition to the acquisition of instrumentation and equipment, funds made available by awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program may be used to support the operations and maintenance of such instrumentation and equipment.
(c)(1)An institution of higher education receiving an award under the Major Research Instrumentation program shall provide at least 30 percent of the cost from private or non-Federal sources.
(2)Institutions of higher education that are not Ph.D.-granting institutions are exempt from the cost sharing requirement in paragraph (1), and the Director may reduce or waive the cost sharing requirement for—
(A)institutions—
(i)that are not ranked among the top 100 institutions receiving Federal research and development funding, as documented by the statistical data published by the Foundation; and
(ii)for which the proposed project will make a substantial improvement in the institution’s capabilities to conduct leading edge research, to provide research experiences for undergraduate students using leading edge facilities, and to broaden the participation in science and engineering research by individuals identified in section 1885a or 1885b of this title; and
(B)consortia of institutions of higher education that include at least one institution that is not a Ph.D.-granting institution.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the America COMPETES Act, also known as the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 7001 of Pub. L. 110–69, set out as a note under section 1862o of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 1862o–14

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60