Equipment and Instrumentation Grants

Many federal agencies offer specific funding opportunities to support the acquisition or development of instrumentation or equipment. Some agencies fund the construction of new research facilities.

Research Facilities Support

The Research Core Facilities Program helps to support the operation and maintenance of many multi-user instruments on campus by promoting and developing best practices for instrument and facility operation and management.

Before applying for funding for a new instrument, review the dynamic inventory of shared campus resources in our searchable database.

Contact RCFP Director Isabelle Girard for more information.

Research Facilities Grant Application Support

The Proposal Development Services team, in collaboration with the Research Core Facilities Program, have resources available to help with proposal preparation for equipment grants, including templates and samples of proposal components. If you're planning to apply for an equipment grant, be sure to reach out to the PDS team at pds@ucdavis.edu.

There are a number of university policies surrounding how equipment should be budgeted, purchased, and tracked.  If you plan to apply for an equipment grant please review the information offered by the UC Davis Equipment Management office to ensure that the instrument meets the definition of equipment (whether it is acquired or developed), all of the capitalizable costs are included in the budget, and the proper tax rate is applied. The answer to these questions and more can be found here.

In addition to the cost of the equipment itself, most grants allow you to budget for tax, delivery, installation, calibration, and a limited service contract. Some grants allow personnel expenses related to installation and calibration.

Equipment Funding Opportunities

Common funding opportunities to support the acquisition and development of equipment and facilities can be found below. Many of these programs are Limited Submissions. Limited and coordinated submissions are posted weekly and require the submission of an internal application through the InfoReady portal. Please review the sponsor guidelines carefully or contact limsubmissions@ucdavis.edu for more information.

Download a pdf of these funding opportunities with award amounts and deadlines as of July 2025.

• National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • General Funding Opportunities
  • Program Specific Funding Opportunities
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Department of Defense (DOD)
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• W.M. Keck Foundation

National Science Foundation

NSF General Funding Opportunities

Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) - Limited Submission

• Description: The MRI Program funds the acquisition or development of a major shared-use research instrument that is, in general, too costly or not appropriate for support through other NSF funding opportunities. An MRI instrument enables advances in fundamental science and engineering research, which may not otherwise occur, and allows recipients to integrate research with research training. There is an institutional limit on the number of proposals UCD may submit to this program.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered annually in the fall.

Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1)

• Description: The NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program (Mid-scale RI-1) supports either design activities or implementation of unique and compelling research implementation projects. Within Mid-scale RI-1, proposers may submit two types of projects, "Implementation" and "Design". Design and Implementation projects may comprise any combination of equipment, infrastructure, computational hardware and software, and necessary commissioning. Design includes planning (preliminary and final design) of research infrastructure with an anticipated total project cost that is appropriate for future Mid-scale RI-1, Mid-scale RI-2 or MREFC-class investments.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered every other year.

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NSF Program-specific equipment funding

Aside from general NSF programs, many of the NSF directorates also offer their own instrumentation programs.

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National Institutes of Health

S10 Instrumentation Program - Coordinated Submission

• Description: ORIP's S10 Instrumentation Grant Programs support purchases of state-of-the-art commercially available instruments to enhance research of NIH–funded investigators. Every instrument awarded by an S10 grant is used on a shared basis, which makes the programs cost-efficient and beneficial to thousands of investigators in hundreds of institutions nationwide. To be eligible for an S10 award, an institution must identify three or more Principal Investigators with active NIH research awards who demonstrate the substantial need for the requested instrument.
• Sponsor Timeline: All three S10 mechanisms are typically due annually in June.
• Proposal Preparation Materials: Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10) Templates & Checklists

S15 Modern Equipment for Shared use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations - Limited Submission

• Description: The Modern Equipment Program supports the acquisition of the latest technologically advanced equipment needed to advance the operational efficacy, productivity, and throughput; improve energy efficiency, enhance, or streamline operating processes and procedures in core laboratories, animal research facilities, or other shared-use research support space. Providing access to such equipment can also expand the capacity of essential support services for evolving and emerging research programs.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered annually in September.

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Department of Defense

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)

• Description: DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment. This award provides support to purchase instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD. The program is administered by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Each year, ARO, ONR, AFOSR publish separate FOAs, please check grants.gov
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered annually in April.

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Department of Energy

Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP)

• Description: The Laboratory Equipment Donation Program (LEDP) was established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to grant surplus and available used laboratory equipment to full-time faculty at universities and colleges in the United States for use in energy-oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, and  Mathematics (STEM) educational programs. This program is managed by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS). The listing of equipment available through LEDP is updated as new equipment is identified. It is available at no cost for a limited time and is granted on a first-received qualified application basis.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity has a rolling deadline.

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Planetary Science Enabling Facility (PSEF) (formerly Planetary Major Equipment and Facilities (PMEF))

• Description: The Planetary Science Enabling Facilities (PSEF) program element allows proposals for experimental and analytical research facilities to be made available to the community that does research under the programs supported by the Planetary Science Division (PSD) in the Science Mission Directorate of NASA.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered in even-numbered years.

Instrument Incubator Program

• Description: The Instrument Incubator Program funds novel instruments offering new or improved ways to observe Earth. The program takes new ideas and helps develop them into validated demonstrations. These new instruments, including lasers, spectrometers and radars, among others, are smaller, more affordable, and seek to include enabling new component technologies and architectures. The instruments incorporate greater onboard intelligence to take advantage of the tremendous strides in algorithm development and processing power. Projects take on greater, more calculated risks than past efforts, offering the potential to advance technology and science.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered every 2-3 years.

Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO)

• Description: The Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) Program supports the development of spacecraft-based instrument systems that show promise for use in future planetary missions. The goal of the program is to conduct planetary and astrobiology science instrument feasibility studies, concept formation, proof of concept instruments, and advanced component technology development (technology readiness levels (TRL) 1 – 3) to the point where they may be proposed in response to the Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (MatISSE) Program.
• Sponsor Timeline: This has a rolling deadline.

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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA/NIFA Equipment Grant Program (EGP) - Limited Submission

• Description: The Equipment Grant Program (EGP) serves to increase access to shared-use special purpose equipment/instruments for fundamental and applied research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs at institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Systems. The program seeks to strengthen the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions, by providing them with opportunities to acquire one major piece of equipment/instruments that support their research, training, and extension goals and may be too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NIFA grant programs.
• Sponsor Timeline: This opportunity is typically offered annually in spring.

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W.M. Keck Foundation

Science and Engineering Grants and Medical Research Grants - Limited Submission

• Description: This program supports pioneering biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation or methodologies. This is a multi-step limited submission program that requires relationship management through the UCD Office of Foundation and Corporate Engagement (FCE).
• Sponsor Timeline: Two funding cycles per year that are coordinated by FCE. Contact Traci Galbaugh, Managing Executive Director of Foundation Engagement, with any questions.

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