Faculty interested in this grant mechanism should let OARS know of your interest, since the number of institutional proposals is limited. From OARS:

The National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation.

NSF is currently revising guidelines for this program, which may affect the number of proposals Miami University can submit. Historically, however, we have been allowed to submit up to 3 MRI proposals (at least 1 of which must be for instrument development and no more than 2 for instrument acquisition) on which we are either the lead or a partner institution. To facilitate the selection of our submissions to NSF, we have set a deadline of Monday, October 2, 2017 to receive preliminary MRI proposals for internal review. You are required to provide a preliminary proposal regardless of whether you were selected as an institutional submission in previous years.

To be considered as an institutional submission, please email a preliminary proposal to
Anne Schauer, including a cover page giving title, PIs and departments, amount, and list of instrumentation.  The Project Description should address both the scientific merit and broader impacts (3 pgs.). You should describe the proposed major research instrumentation, the type of research or research training to be conducted, the activities and projects that would result from this instrumentation, and how students will be involved and how their education will be enhanced through this instrumentation.

Direct any questions to Anne Schauer.