The National Science Foundation has announced the Facility and Instrumentation Request Process under the Directorate for Geosciences' Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences. FIRP enables the research community to access specialized instrumentation and facilities sponsored by the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education program. The program provides support for both Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities and Community Instruments and Facilities. This solicitation offers three proposal submission tracks depending on the type of request: track one for education and outreach, track two for single facility requests, and track three for field campaigns. The program supports both research and outreach activities requiring access to atmospheric research tools.

The estimated total funding available for this program is between ten million and twenty million dollars, with an anticipated five to fifteen awards issued annually. Individual awards may vary in size depending on the scope, complexity, and scientific merit of proposals. Track one requests have a funding cap of seventy-five thousand dollars, with no more than fifty thousand dollars allowed for facility usage unless related to aircraft deployments. Track two and track three proposals have no funding limits, but significant field campaigns under track three require additional planning time and coordination. Facility costs for community instruments and facilities must be included as subawards, while lower atmosphere observing facilities costs will be managed as supplements to the facility provider's NSF award.

Eligible applicants include U.S.-based organizations such as higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and tribal, state, and local governments, as outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. There are no restrictions on who may serve as principal investigator. However, principal investigators who received a track one award with a specific facility cannot submit another track one proposal for the same facility within three years of the start of the previous award.

The FIRP solicitation outlines specific proposal requirements based on the track. Track one proposals must focus on educational or outreach activities and include a facility budget estimate as a supplementary document. Track two proposals require a statement of interest at least three months prior to submission, with a fifteen-page project description, an experimental design plan, and a facility request. Track three proposals require a similar process but allow for greater complexity, including significant field campaigns, multi-institution collaborations, and multi-year deployments. Principal investigators must provide supplementary documents such as a campaign management plan, science traceability matrix, and detailed facility budgets.

Proposals are accepted at any time, but submission timelines depend on the track and deployment start dates. Track one proposals should be submitted nine to twelve months before facility use, track two between nine to fifteen months, and track three between fifteen to twenty-four months in advance. NSF will assess the merit of proposals based on intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria. Additional track-specific review criteria include the alignment of facility usage with project objectives, educational benefits, and outreach efforts to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Principal investigators are encouraged to engage with the FARE program director and facility providers during proposal preparation to ensure availability and suitability of requested resources. Proposals must include a robust data management plan, with all collected data submitted to the NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange within one year of project completion. Successful applicants will receive standard NSF award conditions, and annual project reporting is required. Additional information and support are available through the FARE program website and NSF program contacts.