Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

The objective of the Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program is to support institutions in purchasing a single item of state-of-the-art, high-priced, commercially available research instrument, or an integrated instrumentation system for use in NIH-supported projects. An integrated instrumentation system refers to a dedicated set of components that rely on one another to perform a specific function that no individual component can achieve independently. NIH recognizes that cutting-edge research instruments produce high quality and reproducible data, provide sophisticated technologies to drive innovations in basic, translational, clinical, and biobehavioral research, empower researchers to achieve unprecedented productivity and cost-effective biomedical research operations.

Examples of eligible instruments include, but are not limited to, supercomputing clusters, radiology imaging systems, such as high field MRI, PET/MRI imagers, electron microscopes, biomedical imagers, light microscopes, RNA imagers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, mass spectrometers, flow cytometers, cell sorters, DNA and protein sequencers, and X-ray diffractometers. Applications for general purpose computer systems (e.g., supercomputers, computer clusters and data storage systems) will be considered only if the system is dedicated solely to biomedical research.

NIH strongly discourages requests for instruments under lease agreements. In exceptional cases, NIH may consider funding the depreciated value of a leased instrument, but only if it remains state-of-the-art at the time of award.

While foreign-made instruments are allowed, the reasons for choosing foreign-made instruments over domestically manufactured instruments will be justified. NIH urges that every effort should be made to give preference to domestically manufactured instruments to the maximum extent possible.

To maximize impact and promote efficient use, the instrument should, whenever possible, be housed in a core facility or shared resource. This ensures broad access amongst investigators, research groups, and departments, fosters collaboration in a multidisciplinary setting, and enhances the potential for regional or national impact.

Program Specifications

Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI): Each applicant institution will propose a PD/PI who can assume administrative and scientific oversight responsibility for the requested instrument. The PD/PI will also be responsible for:

• Preparing (and working with the institution to submit) a Final Research Performance Progress Report (Final RPPR) at the end of the project budget period. See Section VI.4 for the content of a Final RPPR.
• Preparing and submitting Annual Usage Reports (AURs) of the instrument to the NIH for a period of four years after the project end date, see Section VI.4.
• Requesting no-cost extensions of the project period, if needed.

Advisory Committee: An Advisory Committee will be named to assist the PD/PI in administering the grant and overseeing the usage of the instrument. The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee should convene regular meetings and issue annual reports on the instrument status, including their recommendations for the instrument operations. For details on the composition of the Advisory Committee, see Section IV.2 under "Administration." The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee are responsible for the development of guidelines for:

• Maximum utilization of the instrument, including time allocation, priority setting, conflict resolution.
• A detailed plan for the day-to-day management and safe operation of the instrument.
• A plan to ensure that access to the instrument is limited to users whose projects have received approval from the Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or a Biosafety Committee, as applicable.
• A financial plan for the long-term operation and maintenance of the instrument during the post-award period.
• Recommending a new PD/PI, if such a need arises.
• A relocation of the instrument within or outside the institution or change(s) of ownership, if such changes are necessary.

Special Use Instrument and Cost Sharing: For instruments that cost over $1,000,000 in direct cost and are expected to support a small fraction of billable clinical use, the institution may request a Special Use Instrument (SUI). Voluntary cost sharing is encouraged for an SUI. Eligibility requirements for SUI are described in Section III.3. Voluntary cost sharing is also encouraged for other high-end and premium instruments, as seen in Section III.2. Cost sharing for the purchase of the instrument is not required; institutional funds contributing to the cost of the purchase of the high-cost instrument are encouraged. All responsive applications, whether cost sharing is proposed or not, will proceed to a peer review.

Applications Not Responsive to this NOFO

The following types of applications are not responsive to this NOFO and will not be reviewed:

• Instruments or integrated systems that are not commercially available or lack a manufacturer's warranty.
• More than one stand-alone workstation for data processing, multiple software licenses, and duplicate software items.
• Software, unless it is integrated in the operation of the instrument and/or necessary for generation of high-quality experimental data from the instrument.
• Research equipment to furnish a research facility (such as autoclaves, hoods, equipment to upgrade research facilities) or general-purpose equipment (such as standard machine shop equipment), equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure (such as standard computer networks or general-purpose data storage systems).
• Instructional equipment used solely for teaching purposes.
• Disposable devices, office furniture, and supplies.
• Alteration or renovation of space to house the instruments.

Applications proposing such requests will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed or considered for funding.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions - Includes all types

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Foreign Organizations/Foreign Collaborations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. 

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information

• System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code. Foreign organizations must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.  PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID. The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. 

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply - Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

There is no restriction on the number of applications an institution (as identified by a specific Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)) can submit to this NOFO each year, provided the applications request different types of equipment. Applicants are advised to discuss with the Scientific/Research Contact (see Section VII) about potential duplications before submitting two applications for the same type of instrument.

Major User Group and NIH User Group: At least three NIH funded Major Users who have a substantial need for the instrument must be identified. Each of the Major Users must be a PD/PI on a distinct active NIH research award (i.e., a grant or a cooperative agreement). An award given to multi-PDs/PIs is counted only once towards the fulfillment of this requirement. NIH training or fellowship grants (i.e., T and F mechanisms), other non-research and SBIR/STTR grants, Other Transaction (OT) awards and contracts cannot be counted towards the fulfillment of this requirement.

To justify the requested instrument, the projects supported by NIH research awards (i.e., grants or cooperative agreements) should together use the instrument at the 65 percent level of the Accessible Usage Time (AUT) or higher; see Section Other Project Information for the definition of AUT (under "Justification of Need"). If a SUI is requested, the projects supported by NIH research awards should together use the instrument at the 75 percent level of the Biomedical Research Time (BRT) (see below for the definition of SUI and BRT).

The NIH User Group must meet the eligibility requirement at the time of submission.

Special Use Instruments (SUI): In special circumstances, to extend the outreach of the Program to cases when an institution cannot justify the sole use of a high-end instrument for NIH-supported and other biomedical research, the institution may contribute a portion of the cost of the requested instrument commensurate with the proposed use of the instrument for other than biomedical research. The non-biomedical research activities supported by the instrument may include research in other fields, curricular instruction, and billable clinical care. This rare request will be designated as a SUI. In such situations, the instrument's Biomedical Research Time (BRT) must be at least 50% of the AUT or the percentage of the NIH contribution towards the purchase of the instrument, whichever is larger. In addition, voluntary cost share of 25% is encouraged for SUI. However, all responsive applications, whether cost sharing is proposed or not, will proceed to a peer review. Voluntary cost share is subject to the requirements of 2 CFR 200.306.  All other requirements outlined in this NOFO still apply.

The Institution must provide specific long-term plans to secure and protect access to the instrument for biomedical researchers, as detailed in Section IV.2 under "SUI Request." If an Institution is considering a SUI request, the applicant is strongly advised to consult with Scientific/Research Contact(s) and Financial/Grants Management Contact(s) (see Section VII) before submitting an application as it is likely that special administrative procedures will have to be followed.

Quote: An itemized quote from the vendor with appropriate academic discounts and warranty terms (specified directly in the quote) is required and must be included in the application.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise (in this NOFO, in a policy notice, or other notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to the requirements in the How to Apply - Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the How to Apply – Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

For this NOFO, the following specified page limits for each section of the Instrumentation Plan apply as described below. All tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts must be included within the page limits for these sections. The applicants should make every effort to be succinct. It is expected that the length of the Instrumentation Plan's narrative will depend on the type of the requested instrument and the number of users. To be successful, an application does not have to reach the page limits:

• Introduction to Resubmission (if applicable): 2 pages.
• Justification of Need: 3 pages in total.
• Technical Expertise: 2 pages in total.
• Research Projects: Must not exceed 12 pages in total.
• Summary Table(s): 3 pages in total.
• Administration (Organizational/Management Plan): 3 pages in total.
• Institutional Commitment: 2 pages in total.
• Overall Impact/Benefit: 2 pages in total.

Note: Letters of Support and Bibliography & References Cited Section are not included in the page limitations.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply – Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Descriptive Title: Enter the generic name of the instrument requested in the title (for example, 600MHz NMR Spectrometer or High-Throughput DNA Sequencer).

Proposed Project: CY 2026 submission: enter start date 03/01/2027 and end date 02/28/2028; CY 2027 submission: enter start date 03/01/2028 and end date 02/28/2029; CY 2028 submission: enter start date 03/01/2029 and end date 02/28/2030.

Estimated Project Funding: Total Federal Funds Requested: Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument. This entry cannot exceed $5,000,000, which is the maximum award under the Program. If the requested amount is over $2,000,000, voluntary cost sharing (subject to the requirements of 2 CFR 200.306) is encouraged. See Section III.2, Cost Sharing.

Total Non-Federal Funds: If Total Federal Funds Requested (described immediately above) and Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds (described immediately below) are not the same, enter the difference in this line. Explain how the difference will be paid in the Equipment section on the SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information form (described below).

Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds: Enter the total cost of the instrument from the quote.

Program Income: Enter zero as this does not apply to the Program.

NOTE: A warning will be generated during submission for any S10 with a budget of more than $500,000. This warning can be ignored.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

For specific instructions, please visit the ORIP S10 FAQ page at https://orip.nih.gov/division-construction-instruments/s10-instrumentation-programs/pre-application/frequently-asked-questions.

Project Summary/Abstract: The Project Summary/Abstract should contain a succinct and accurate description of the requested instrument and an explanation of the need for the instrument to advance research projects of the Users. The application's broad, long-term objectives should be stated, concisely describing how access to the instrument will support the research projects.

Project Narrative: Using no more than two or three sentences of plain language, describe the relevance of this research to public health.

Bibliography & References Cited: List only publications that demonstrate the researchers' expertise in operation and usage of the requested instrument or that are relevant to research projects which will be supported by the instrument. References to the Research Projects Section may appear in this section or may be listed at the end of individual research subsections.

Facilities & Other Resources: Not Applicable. Do not include an attachment here.

Equipment: Describe the requested instrument by stating its manufacturer, model number, specific features, and accessories. Provide a detailed budget breakdown of the main instrument and requested accessories, including tax and import duties (tariffs), if applicable. An itemized quote from the vendor, with appropriate discounts and warranty terms, is required. The quote must be unaltered and combined in a single attachment with the equipment description as part of this upload. As described above in SF424 Cover form, include an explanation of Total Non-Federal Funds in this section (if applicable).

Applications without a valid quote will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn from review.

If human, animal, or infectious materials, which could create a potential biohazard, are to be analyzed, funds for accessory containment equipment for the instrument may be requested in the budget.

Do not describe the need for the instrument or accessories in this section; such narrative should be a part of the Justification of Need section of the Instrumentation Plan.

Other Attachments:

I) Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan form)

The entire Instrumentation Plan (with the sections described below) must be saved as a single PDF file - named Instrumentation Plan - and attached via Other Attachments. Organize the sections of the Instrumentation Plan in the specified order as described below, starting each section with the appropriate section heading (i.e., Justification of Need, Technical Expertise, Research Projects, etc.). Do not include links to websites for further information. Do not include animations/videos.

• Introduction: Only in the case of a resubmission, include an Introduction describing the changes that have been made in response to comments in the previous review.
• Justification of Need: Name the requested instrument. Compare the performance of the requested model with other similar instruments available on the market. Justify the need for specific features and special accessories for the requested instrument. Each such feature or accessory must be utilized by at least three Major Users.

Requesting instruments under a lease agreement is strongly discouraged, consulting the Scientific/Research contact is strongly recommended.

Justify the instrument and specific model chosen. Explain why the chosen model and its manufacturer are the most suitable for your user group. Provide an inventory of similar instruments existing at your institution, neighboring research institutions, or otherwise accessible; describe why each similar instrument is unavailable or inappropriate for the proposed research. If similar instruments are listed as "unavailable," add a letter to the Letters of Support section from the instrument manager explaining why the instrument is not available to your user group. Preliminary data is not required, though if access to a demo instrument is practical, it can be included to justify the choice of the instrument.

Justify the need for software. All software supported by this program must be integrated into the operation of the instrument or be necessary for generation of high-quality data from the instrument. Depending on the needs of research projects, different configurations of such software may be needed to ensure productive scientific use of the instrument. Any additional software modules that are requested must be essential for the advancement of research projects of at least three Major Users. As noted previously, stand-alone workstations, duplicate software items, and software licenses are not allowed.

Define and justify the AUT for the requested instrument. The AUT is the number of annual hours the instrument can be practically used for research. AUT hours may be limited by the time an instrument operator is available if an operator is required, facilities' access schedules, planned maintenance, start-up and standardization, and any other factors that take time away from the use of the instrument for research. AUT may be limited by the type of technology requested; some instruments can be operated 24/7 while other technologies can be used only during operators' available hours. Therefore, justify the AUT based on the practical factors at your site to clarify that the AUT corresponds to realistic full-time use of the instrument at your institution.

If a SUI is requested, provide the BRT for the instrument. BRT is the number of annual hours that the instrument is available to conduct biomedical research. For an instrument exclusively used for biomedical research, the BRT is equal to AUT. For a SUI to be considered for funding via this program, its BRT must be at least 50% of AUT, or the percentage of the NIH contribution towards the purchase of the instrument, whichever is larger (see also Section III.3). The justification of need for a SUI can only be based on the requirements of NIH-funded or other BRT users, and not on the non-BRT needs. For special accessories, using the Table of Accessories may help clarify a description of SUI (see Summary Tables below).

• Technical Expertise: Describe the technical expertise of individuals who will set up and run the instrument. Specify who will ensure that the instrument is safely operated and appropriately maintained. State who will train new users. If the instrument requires complex sample preparation or consultation for experimental designs, describe the expert individuals who will serve in that capacity. Address technical support for data collection, management, and analysis.

If an innovative instrument providing new research capabilities is requested, demonstrate the special technical expertise needed for increasing its adoption in biomedical research. Describe training for the investigators on using the novel technology to advance their research.

• Research Projects: The Research Projects section should focus on explanation of how the requested instrument will advance research projects. In this section, describe the benefit of the requested instrument to enhance Users research projects. First, describe the research projects of Major Users. You can organize this section into subsections of Research Projects of Major Users or Specific Research Topics. The latter format may be especially useful to avoid redundancies in the presentation of research projects if several Major Users pursue research topics which follow similar protocols and the scientific benefits of the new instrument for their projects are comparable. All Major Users must have a substantial need for the requested instrument. Detailed eligibility requirements for Major Users are described in Section III.

Since the research projects have been previously peer-reviewed, their details should be described clearly and succinctly, and only as necessary to explain how the requested instrument will advance the projects research objectives. Present sufficient technical details about types of samples or specific experimental protocols to be employed to allow evaluation of whether the instrument is appropriate, will be effectively utilized, and would provide advantages over other methods and other similar existing or new instruments. Justify the need for special features, accessories, and special software modules of the requested instrument by at least three Major Users. Preliminary data is not required, but if available, it may be used to illustrate the benefits of the requested instrument to the research projects. Describe how generated data will be handled and analyzed so that the benefits of the entire experimental set-up can be evaluated. Summarize the benefits that the requested instrument will provide toward answering specific scientific questions.

If the Research Projects section is to be structured by the research projects of Major Users, limit the text to no more than 1 page per each Major User's project. In the beginning of each Major User's Project narrative, list the PI's name and grant information (number, title, project start and end dates). Specify the anticipated usage in annual hours for each project. The Research Project of Other Users subsection is strongly recommended to be succinct, describing 3 or more projects per page.

If the Research Projects section is structured by Specific Research Topics, list Major Users, their funded grants that you describe therein, and their cumulative usage as measured by annual usage hours, in the beginning of each subsection.

In cases of certain technologies (such as computer systems or cell sorters), many users may be expected. Keep in mind that the number of users alone is not a compelling factor to justify scientific needs for the requested instrument.

A section entitled Other Users Projects may be used to describe the need of the requested instrument to advance projects from Other Users and the user community at your institution (e.g., unfunded users who have a significant need for the instrument to develop their research programs or users whose expected needs are at the level of 1% or less of the expected usage time). Include a sum of the anticipated usage in annual hours for all Other Users.

• Summary Tables: At the beginning of this section, re-state the AUT (and BRT if a SUI) in annual hours, as introduced in the Justification of Need Section.
  
  Next, insert the following groups into the summary tables (sample Summary Table is available at ORIP S10 FAQ page): a) Research Projects of Major Users, and b) Research Projects of Other Users. The tables should have the following columns: User's name, grant number (for NIH awards, list the grant numbers such as R01IC123456), brief title of the project, grant start and end dates, and estimated usage in annual hours. If there are multiple Users funded by the same grant, list a total of their estimated usage in annual hours for projects supported by that grant. If applicable, include a separate table to indicate the users' needs for any requested accessory. If a SUI is requested, these tables should clarify accessories which are not needed for the Major or Other Users.

Do not list users whose annual usage is at the level of 1% of AUT or less.

Following the tables, state:

i. The total estimated usage time by all Users projects in annual hours,

ii. The percentage of the estimated usage time devoted to all NIH-funded projects.

All NIH-funded users should use the instrument at the level of at least 65% of the AUT (or 75% of the BRT).

• Administration (Organizational/Management Plan): Describe the organizational plan to administer the grant. Describe where the instrument will be located, how it will be utilized, how requests to use the instrument will be made, how time will be allocated among users, how other projects and new users will be enlisted. Describe how users will be trained in experimental design, instrument operation and data analysis. Describe typical day-by-day management of the instrument. If the plans are to install the instrument in a setting other than a core or a shared resource facility, describe the procedures that will implement and assure broad access to the instrument and its use on a shared basis.

List the names and titles of the members of the local Advisory Committee. The membership of this Committee should represent the interests of different users and should include non-user members to avoid conflicts of interest who can resolve disputes if they arise. The membership of this Committee should include at least one senior institutional official who will represent the financial commitment of the institution. It is recommended that the Advisory Committee includes at least 4 members. Major Users of the instrument may be members, but none should be the Chairperson. The PD/PI cannot serve as the Chairperson or a voting member of the Advisory Committee.

The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee should convene meetings and prepare annual reports on the instrument status. The reports will become part of the Final Research Performance Progress Report (Final RPPR) and the Annual Usage Reports (AUR) (see Section VI.4).

Provide a plan about how the Users will be instructed and reminded about citing the S10 award in their publications and how their compliance will be verified.

Describe a plan for managing access to the instrument if users' projects involve human subjects, vertebrate animals, or biohazards such as infectious materials.

Financial Plan: Submit a specific financial plan for the long-term operation and maintenance of the instrument as such costs are not supported by the S10 Program. Explain how various operational costs will be met; specifically, costs associated with routine operation and maintenance of the instrument, and costs for support personnel. Enumerate the sources of income such as charge back fee structure, grants, or institutional support. The financial plan must include a table for years 1-5 of operation. For year 1, although the maintenance costs are fully covered by a one-year manufacturer warranty, enter anticipated expenditures and anticipated income, showing how these estimates were derived. For years 2-5, approximate amounts, based on data for year 1, must be considered in the financial plan. A description of projected changes to the financial plan over the four years is also needed.

Operation: Include salary support of expert personnel that will operate the instrument and oversee routine care and procedures for standardization.

Maintenance: May include a service contract, or funds for parts and local technical personnel who will maintain the instrument (if such personnel are qualified to do so).

Supplies: Include necessary supplies for operating the instrument such as chemicals, cryogenics, and other expendable items.

Software: Include costs for updates/maintenance of software licenses needed for the proper operation of the instrument or additional software for data analysis.

Anticipated Income: Enumerate the sources of income, such as any charge back fee structure, grants, or institutional support.

• Institutional Commitment: Describe the institutional infrastructure available to support the instrumentation, including space to house the instrument and site for sample preparation, if applicable. Confirm the institutional support toward the maintenance and operation of the instrument for five years from the installation date of the instrument or for its effective lifetime. Describe institutional support for personnel. The timeline of institutional support should be consistent with the expected usable lifetime of the type of requested instrument.
• Overall Impact/Benefit: Explain how the instrument will impact NIH-funded research and contribute to the institution's long-range biomedical research goals.

II) Letters of Support
All letters of support should be combined into a single file named Letters of Support and uploaded as a separate attachment via Other Attachments. This combined file should include, as applicable:

• Letters from institutional officials.
• Institutional commitment to the proposed financial plan for maintenance and operations.
• Letters about inventory of instruments at the institution which are unavailable to the PD/PI (as noted in the Justification of Need Section), as applicable.
• The institution (i.e., the entity with the same UEI number as the applicant's institution) must also provide a table that includes information about performance of all previous S10-awarded instruments within the past five years, indicating the following columns:

1) S10 Grant Number.

2) Year of Award.

3) Installation Date of the Instrument.

4) PD/PI's name.

5) Generic Name of Instrument.

6) Instrument Status: Active (instrument in use), Pending (order placed, but instrument not delivered, instrument received but not installed or not calibrated for general use), Upgraded (or replaced), Not Available (sold, decommissioned, transferred); (If the instrument is currently non-functional, provide a succinct explanation of the instrument status immediately following this table).

7) Actual Usage Time: Actual total time in hours per year the instrument was used for research. If the instrument has been functioning for less than a year, the usage time can be extrapolated to reflect annual hours.

8) Maintenance Agreement: Active (Warranty in place), In-House (or Self-Insured), None (Fee for Service, Pending), Not Available (no longer supported by manufacturer).

9) Publications: Enter the number of research publications that cite the S10 award or have been linked with the S10 award in My NCBI. The number of reported publications should be verified in the NIH RePORTER. If there are no publications for any of the previously awarded S10-awarded instruments, provide an explanation immediately following this table.

• Letter from Biosafety Official. If human, animal, or infectious materials, which could create a potential biohazard, are to be analyzed, a signed letter from the institutional biosafety officer is required. The letter should state that the proposed containment plan has been reviewed and adheres to documented biosafety regulations.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Include the profiles of the PD/PI, Major Users, and technical personnel, as applicable.

R&R Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Not Applicable

Other Plan(s): 

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO.

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply - Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?" on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 2. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time.  If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply – Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

Under the S10 mechanism, funding requests are limited to the purchase cost of the instrument only. Support for technical personnel, service contracts, extended warranties, software (except as defined in Part 2, Section I), and supplies are not allowable. Cost sharing toward the purchase of the instrument is not required and any institutional funds contributed to the costs of the purchase of the instrument are voluntary. If the amount of funds requested does not cover the total cost of the instrument, the application should describe the proposed source(s) of funding to cover the balance of the cost of the instrument and document their availability in a letter signed by an appropriate institutional official. Note that any voluntarily committed cost will be noted in the Notice of the Award and the institution will be held to the commitment and reporting requirements.

This Program does not provide indirect costs or support for construction, alterations, or renovations. Commitment of an appropriate level of institutional support, to ensure the associated sustaining infrastructure, is expected and should be described. The appropriate Grant will be awarded for a period of one year and is not renewable.

Applicants proposing the purchase of an instrument that the institution is planning to lease prior to an award are required to consult with their institutional sponsored projects office and the NIH Grant Management Office (see Section VII for contact information) regarding the applicable NIH policy prior to executing the leasing agreement. If the leasing agreement was executed prior to submission of the application, the applicant must provide a strong justification for the amount of the requested Federal funds requested, with adjustments to depreciation. This justification must demonstrate that the leased instrument is considered state-of-the-art at the time of submission. Execution of a purchase order or agreement, making a down payment or other formal commitment to purchase the equipment prior to award will automatically eliminate an applicant from eligibility for an award.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply - Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed. 

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200.113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.1.35.

Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at grantdisclosures@oig.hhs.gov. 

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.  Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by CSR, in accordance with NIH peer review policies and practices, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Co-funding interest and availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
• Program balance among various types of supported instruments and geographical distribution of awards.

The Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) may give priority to applications in the following areas:

• Priority area 1: Instruments that support high priority NIH research areas such as human-based research studies, new approach methodologies (NAMs), artificial intelligence, and other scientific topics with national impact.
• Priority area 2: Instruments that represent novel/emerging technologies or those that produce physical or mechanical outputs other than conventional digital data, such as bioprinting systems for NAMs, laboratory robots for reproducible research operation, and/or electromagnetic radiators for treatment of human diseases.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.5.1. Just-in-Time Procedures. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Prior to making an award, NIH reviews an applicant's federal award history in SAM.gov to ensure sound business practices. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov.  NIH will consider any comments by the applicant in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov to ascertain the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and performance record of managing Federal awards per 2 CFR Part 200.206 "Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants."  This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

A Notice of Award (NoA) is the official authorizing document notifying the applicant that an award has been made and that funds may be requested from the designated HHS payment system or office. The NoA is signed by the Grants Management Officer and emailed to the recipient's business official.

In accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Any pre-award costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the applicant's own risk.  For more information on the Notice of Award, please refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 5. The Notice of Award and NIH Grants & Funding website, see Award Process.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The following Federal wide and HHS-specific policy requirements apply to awards funded through NIH:

• The rules listed at 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
• All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award (NoA). The NoA includes the requirements of this NOFO. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities.

All federal statutes and regulations relevant to federal financial assistance, including those highlighted in NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4 Public Policy Requirements, Objectives and Other Appropriation Mandates.

By applying for or accepting federal funds from HHS, recipients certify compliance with all federal antidiscrimination laws and these requirements and that complying with those laws is a material condition of receiving federal funding streams. Recipients are responsible for ensuring subrecipients, contractors, and partners also comply.

Applicants and recipients are strongly encouraged to refer to the NIH Director's Statement of Priorities, entitled "Advancing NIH's Mission Through a Unified Strategy." 

Recipients are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal regulations. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.340, by accepting an NIH award, the recipient agrees that continued funding for the award is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, recipient satisfactory performance, compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the award, and may also otherwise be terminated, to the extent authorized by law, if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities, in line with 2 CFR 200.340(a)(4).

Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, Div. N, § 405, Pub. Law 114-113, 6 USC § 1533(d), the HHS Secretary has established a common set of voluntary, consensus-based, and industry-led guidelines, best practices, methodologies, procedures, and processes.

Successful recipients under this NOFO agree that:

When recipients, subrecipients, or third-party entities have:

• ongoing and consistent access to HHS owned or operated information or operational technology systems; and
• receive, maintain, transmit, store, access, exchange, process, or utilize personal identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) obtained from the awarding HHS agency for the purposes of executing the award.

Cybersecurity plans and procedures must at minimum include the following:

• Develop cybersecurity plans and procedures, modeled after the NIST Cybersecurity framework, to protect HHS systems and data:
  • Identify:
    • Develop an inventory of all assets and accounts with access to HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems or which obtain PII or PHI for the purposes of the award.
  • Protect:
    • Limit access to HHS owned and operated systems to only those in need of access to complete reward activities.
    • Require all staff to complete annual cybersecurity and privacy awareness training. Visit 405(d): Knowledge on Demand (hhs.gov) to obtain free trainings, if needed.
    • Enable multifactor authentication for all employees, subrecipients, and third-party entities to access HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems.
    • Regularly backup sensitive data and test backups.
  • Detect:
    • Install anti-virus or anti-malware software on all devices, servers, and accounts used to connect to HHS owned and operated systems.
  • Respond:
    • Develop an incident response plan. See Incident-Response-Plan-Basics_508c.pdf (cisa.gov) to learn about developing incident response plans.
    • Have cybersecurity incident reporting procedures that ensure the relevant HHS awarding agencies are notified of a cybersecurity incident within 48 hours of discovery. A cybersecurity incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a technology service or reduction in the quality of a technology service, or an occurrence that actually or potentially jeopardizes the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information the system processes, stores, or transmits.
  • Recover:
    • Investigate incidents and plug any security gaps identified. 

All activities proposed in your application and budget narrative must align with applicable law, including but not limited to statutes, executive orders, federal regulations and applicable judicial holdings.  Accordingly, discretionary awards shall not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate; racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination by the recipient, including activities where race or intentional proxies for race will be used as a selection criterion for employment or program participation; denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans, or the belief that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic; illegal immigration; or any other initiatives that compromise public safety.  If an application does not align, the application will not receive funding to the extent permitted by law and applicable court orders.

For applications involving substance abuse, the application must not support harm reduction. Please see Updated Funding Guidance for Recipients on Supplies and Services.

For applications involving funding Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) or medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), this funding should be used to provide comprehensive treatment and recovery support services rather than medication-only models for opioid use disorder. Services should include medications, where clinically indicated, in conjunction with psychosocial and other treatment and recovery support services. Funding can also be used to support individualized tapering and discontinuation of medications when clinically indicated. Please see Updated Funding Guidance for Recipients on  MAT/MOUD.

As of October 1, 2025, HHS has adopted 2 CFR Part 200, with some modifications included in 2 CFR Part 300. These regulations replace those in 45 CFR Part 75. However, for NIH, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2026, (P.L. 119-75, Division B, Title II, Sec. 224), the provisions relating to indirect costs in 45 CFR 75 continue to apply to NIH awards. Consistent with the statute, NIH will not apply updated thresholds outlined within 2 CFR Part 200, at this time.

Not Applicable.

3. Data Management and Sharing

Not Applicable.

4. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.4.1 Reporting. To learn more about post-award monitoring and reporting, see the NIH Grants & Funding website, see Post-Award Monitoring and Reporting.

Specific to this NOFO: All S10 annual reports, including Final RPPR and four annual usage reports (AURs), must be submitted to https://s10reports.od.nih.gov/ for review and approval, following a specific template accessible from their respective report page. The approved Final RPPR will be officially submitted to the eRA Commons. A Final RPPR describes the Outcome and the Impact of the purchased instrument and the significance of the instrument to the investigators and their research. Similarly, each of the AURs will include the usage and operation of the instrument and a description of research which benefited from the instrument, with an attached report from the Advisory Committee. See ORIP's S10 FAQ page for details.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.6 Closeout. NIH NOFOs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 2 CFR Part 200.301.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk - Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues.

Grants.gov Support Center - Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and services (e.g., Workspace, subscriptions).

Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
Email: odsig@mail.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging (NIA)  
Email: NIA-NOFO-Scientific@nih.gov

NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS)
Scientific Program Contact:
Training, Workforce Initiative, and Community Engagement Unit
NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS)
Email: ds-workforce@nih.gov 

National Eye Institute (NEI)
NEI_extramural@nih.gov

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Email: NIAID_S10_NOFO@mail.nih.gov

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) – ORIP Team
Email: nhlbioripogm@nhlbi.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging (NIA)  
Email: NIA-NOFO-Grants@nih.gov

National Eye Institute (NEI)
NEI_extramural@nih.gov

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Email: NIAIDFinancial-GrantsContact@mail.nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 2 CFR Part 200.