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

Need for the Program

Developing a highly skilled biomedical research workforce is essential to strengthening the nation's economic competitiveness and improving public health. Hands-on, active learning using modern equipment has been shown to significantly boost student interest and educational achievement in scientific fields, thereby expanding the talent pool for the U.S. biomedical research enterprise. The Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (RLI-S10) aims to increase biomedical research capacity and educational opportunities at resource-limited institutions by supporting their purchase of modern scientific instruments. This is a NOFO for a Limited Competition that will invite application(s) from eligible organization(s) to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the application(s) will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious application(s) will be considered for funding.

Program Objectives

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications from institutions that have limited NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) funding, to purchase scientific equipment (see Section III.1 for details on institutional eligibility). Proposed instruments may support scientific projects in NIH-supported basic, translational, clinical, or biomedically-related behavioral fields. Students and trainees may also benefit from access to the instrument in formal courses. The requested instrument should invigorate current research, foster new research projects, stimulate collaborations, and enhance education.

Expectations

The requested instrument should be housed at the recipient institution and placed in a space that maximizes sharing, promotes cost-effectiveness, and fosters a collaborative multi-disciplinary environment. Examples of suitable spaces include a core facility, a shared-resource space, or an accessible laboratory, which may serve as a teaching space.

The applicant institution should propose a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) who will assume administrative and scientific oversight of the requested instrument. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed. 

The PD/PI is responsible for the instrument's organizational plan (Section IV.2) and:

• Communicating with NIH program staff and instrument vendors;
• Ensuring a safe, accessible location for the instrument;
• Evaluating the instrument's use in research projects and formal academic courses;
• Submitting a Final Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) and responding to the request from NIGMS for an Annual Instrument Usage Report (AUR; see Section VI.4) two years after the Final RPPR; and
• Ensuring that users cite the S10 award in publications that benefit from the instrument.

Each application should have at least three Major Users with research projects or educational activities that demonstrate a significant need for the requested instrument (see Section III.3 Additional Information on Eligibility).

Technical expertise is required to manage the instrument, but it does not need to be handled by a dedicated staff member. This funding opportunity does not allow budgeting salaries for technical personnel. 

Allowable equipment

This NOFO provides funds to purchase a single, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. An integrated instrumentation system consists of components that, when used together, perform a function that no single component can achieve. The components must be dedicated to the system and not used independently. Supported instrument types include, but are not limited to: basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, mass spectrometers, benchtop NMR spectrometers, optical instruments such as fluorimeters or CD spectropolarimeters, centrifuges, 3D printers, micro-plate-readers equipped with optical systems for high-throughput measurements, FPLCs and HPLCs, and computer systems.

Applications for stand-alone computer systems (e.g., computer clusters and data storage systems) will only be considered if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research and/or education and alternative access to such services (e.g., commercial cloud services) is not feasible or cost-effective.

Exclusions

 Applications with the following characteristics will be considered non-responsive to this NOFO and administratively withdrawn:

• An instrument with a base cost of less than $25,000;
• A budget request of more than $250,000;
• Multiple instruments bundled together, e.g., an application that requests more than one type of instrument such as a spectrometer and a microscope;
• Instruments that will be used by fewer than 3 Major Users;
• Purely instructional equipment that cannot be used for research purposes;
• Instruments used for clinical (billable) care;
• Instruments that are not commercially available and do not have a manufacturer's warranty;
• Institutional administrative management systems or clinical management systems;
• Software, unless it is integrated into the operation of the instrument and/or necessary for generation of high-quality experimental data from the instrument;
• Multiple stand-alone workstations for data processing;
• General purpose equipment (such as standard machine shop equipment), instruments to furnish a research facility (such as autoclaves, hoods, equipment to upgrade animal facilities), equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure (such as standard computer networks or data storage systems);
• Disposable devices, office furniture, or supplies;
• Alteration or renovation of space to house the instruments.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss any questions about appropriate types of equipment, eligibility, and program requirements with the appropriate Scientific/Research Contact (See Section VII) prior to submitting an application.

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

Applicant institutions eligible for funding through this NOFO must be domestic, located in the United States or its territories, and meet these criteria:

• At the time of application, have received less than $6 million dollars per year (total costs) from NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs) over the past three fiscal years, calculated using NIH RePORTER; and
• Award undergraduate (B.S. or B.A.) and/or graduate degrees in biomedical sciences; and 
• Enroll at least 35% of undergraduate students supported by Pell grants (calculated as a yearly average from the past three academic years based on data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS reports the percentage of students supported by Pell grants in two ways: (1) the percentage of all undergraduates enrolled and (2) the percentage of full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students. Institutions may use either option for determining their eligibility. No matter which category of IPEDS data is used, the institution's Pell grant enrollment in that category must be at least a yearly average of 35% calculated from the three most recent years of reported data).

or belong to one of the following categories:

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs, see 20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) or 
• Tribal colleges and universities as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603 (24).

For institutions with multiple campuses, eligibility can be considered for an individual campus (e.g., main, satellite, etc.) as the applicant organization only if a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and a unique NIH eRA Institutional Profile Fle (IPF) number are established for the individual campus. For institutions that use one UEI or NIH IPF number for multiple campuses, eligibility as the applicant organization is determined for the campuses together.

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.

Only PDs/PIs associated with the eligible applicant organizations as outlined above may apply. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

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).

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is for a different type of instrument. However, multiple awards to a single institution in one fiscal year is unlikely. Applicant organizations are advised to consult with a Scientific/Research Contact (Section VII) to discuss potential instrument overlap before submitting multiple applications.

Major User Requirements

At least three Major Users for the instrument are required at the time of application submission. Once this requirement has been met, other users may be added. There is no requirement that the PD/PI nor any Major User have an existing NIH award in order to apply to this NOFO.

Major Users can include:

• A researcher who has a scientific need for the instrument; or
• An upper-level undergraduate or graduate laboratory course that will integrate the instrument into learning objectives.

In addition,

• The PD/PI must have a full-time appointment at the applicant institution.
• Major Users can be from the same department or from several departments, divisions, or schools at the applicant institution, or from nearby or regional institutions; however, the instrument must be housed at the recipient institution.
• Use of the instrument in courses is limited to the recipient institution.
• One laboratory course or a single individual with scientific need for the instrument may each serve as only one Major User.
• A single individual may serve as a research Major User and as the instructor for a Major User course.

Applications will be withdrawn for failure to meet the eligibility requirements for Major Users at the time of submission. 

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.

The Instrumentation Plan (see 'Other Attachments' section of the SF424(R&R) Other Project Information form) must include the following sections and adhere to these page limitations:

• Plan for Research and Education Capacity Building: up to 4 pages
• Technical Expertise: up to 1 page
• Organizational Plan: up to 2 pages

Lack of adherence to these Page Limitations will result in withdrawal of an application without review. 

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, "Confocal Microscope" or "Plate Reader Equipped with Fluorescence Optics").

Estimated Project Funding:

Total Federal Funds Requested: Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument. This amount cannot exceed $250,000, the maximum award under this program. If the cost of the instrument is more than $250,000, enter $250,000 (or any lower amount of requested Federal Funds).

Total Non-Federal Funds: If Total Federal Funds Requested (described immediately above) and Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds (described immediately below) differ, 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.

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

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.

Project Summary/Abstract: Provide a succinct and accurate description of the requested instrument and explain the need for the instrument. Concisely state the application's broad, long-term objectives. Describe how access to the instrument will stimulate biomedical research and/or support education at the institution(s). This section should be informative to individuals working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically or technically literate reader.

Note: The Project Summary/Abstract must be no longer than 30 lines of text.

Project Narrative: Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance of the instrument to public health and its impact on research and education at the applicant institution. Be concise and use language that is clear and understandable to a general audience.

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

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

Equipment: 

• Provide a detailed description of the requested instrument, including its manufacturer, model number, specific features, and accessories. Include an itemized budget for the main instrument and requested accessories, as well as shipping costs and any applicable taxes including import duties or tariffs. Do not describe the need for the instrument or accessories in this section; such a narrative should be included in the Instrumentation Plan.
• An itemized quote from the vendor, including discounts, accessories, training services, warranties, service contracts (if applicable) and any other allowable costs, such as shipping and tariffs, is required. The quote must be combined with the equipment description in a single document that is uploaded to the application form. 
• As described above in the SF424 Cover form, include an explanation of the total Non-Federal Funds in this section (if applicable).

Instrument service contracts are encouraged and should be included within the quote and requested in the budget. Up to five years of service contract may be purchased with this award.

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

If the requested funds do not cover the total instrument cost, the application should include a description of the proposed source(s) of funding to cover the remaining costs of the instrument and document their availability with a letter signed by an appropriate institutional official (see Letters of Support instruction below).

Other Attachments: The application must include the following two attachments: 1.Instrumentation Plan and 2. Letter(s) of Support. Refer to the Page Limitations section above for information about the page limits for the three sections of the Instrumentation Plan. 

1.  Instrumentation Plan 

The Instrumentation Plan (with the sections described below) must be included as a single PDF file titled "Instrumentation Plan" and uploaded as a distinct attachment. Organize the Instrumentation Plan as specified below, starting each section with the appropriate section heading: Plan for Research and Education Capacity Building, Technical Expertise, and Organizational Plan. Do not include animations, videos, or links to websites.

• Plan for Research and Education Capacity Building: Briefly describe the function/purpose of the instrument and justify any requested accessories. State why this particular instrument/model is being requested instead of other similar instruments available on the market. This section should be organized with the following subsections:
  • Overall Benefit: Outline how the instrument will benefit the institution's research and/or education, enhance research and education capacity, and contribute to the institution's long-range biomedical research goals. 
  • Research and/or Education Projects: Describe the specific research projects and educational activities that the instrument will enable. Research and teaching projects may be drawn from a broad array of topics in basic, translational, and biomedically-related behavioral or clinical research supported by the NIH. Describe at least 3 Major Users' Projects (Major Users are defined in Section III), each with an explicit scientific or educational need for the requested instrument. 
    • For each laboratory course Major User, include the following: 
      • The course name with a 2-3 sentence summary of its content.
      • The instructor's name and a brief (1-2 sentences) summary of their expertise related to the instrument.
      • A statement on how the instrument will be used in the course. Include brief descriptions of the educational methods or experiments that will utilize the instrument (technical details are not necessary).
      • Description of how the student experience with the instrument will enhance educational training in biomedical sciences. 
      • Estimate the number of students per year who will use the instrument and their anticipated total usage in hours per month while courses are active
    • For each research Major User, include the following:
      • The Major User's name and a brief description of the overall goal(s) of the research project(s) that will benefit from the instrument. 
      • A brief description of experiments that will employ the instrument. Explain why the instrument is appropriate for these experiments. Preliminary data are not required, but a compelling case for the instrument's utility for the research project(s) should be made. 
      • Expectations for how the instrument will advance the research project(s).
      • Anticipated usage in hours per month.
    • Minor/Other Users: 
      • Describe how the instrument will benefit other users' (minor users) research or educational projects. Note that minor users are defined as those with occasional need for instrument access. 
      • Briefly describe other research or educational projects at the institution (or from nearby or regional institutions) that may benefit from the instrument. Identify potential future users that the instrument could support. 
  • Inventory of Similar Instruments: If applicable, provide descriptions of any similar instruments that exist at the recipient institution or are otherwise accessible. Explain why each similar instrument is unavailable or inappropriate for the proposed research or educational activities. 
  • Software Justification: If applicable, justify the need for software. All software supported by this program must be integrated into the operation of the instrument or be necessary for the generation of high-quality data from the instrument. Depending on the needs of research and education projects, multiple software licenses or different configurations of such software may be needed to ensure productive scientific use of the instrument. Such additional software module requests must be essential for advancing research or education projects of at least one Major User. Stand-alone workstations or software are not allowed.
• Technical Expertise: Describe the technical expertise of individuals who will set up, run and provide training on the instrument, including any manufacturer-provided training. Specify who will train new users, ensure safe operation, and provide appropriate maintenance for the instrument. Indicate the procedure for establishing if the instrument is functioning according to the manufacturer's specifications. Identify experts for complex sample preparation or consultation for experimental design if the instrument requires it. Address technical support for data collection, management, and analysis.
• Organizational Plan: Describe how the instrument will be managed by the institution and shared by the users. The following should be included:
  • Description of the day-to-day management of the instrument, including where it will be housed, how it will be maintained, how instrument time will be reserved, and how user time will be documented. 
  • Plans to use an existing or establish an equipment oversight advisory committee that oversees institutional research infrastructure and equipment. The plans should help coordinate use and maintenance, and ensure broad access to the instrument.
  • Description of how training will be handled.
  • Plans for engaging new users and promoting broad access to the instrument. 
  • Plans for post-award operation of the instrument. Describe how long the instrument is anticipated to be operational and how it will be maintained in the immediate years following expiration of the warranty and/or service contract period. Identify factors that will contribute to successful continued operation of the instrument, such as supplies, software, service contracts, technical maintenance, etc.
  • If applicable, include plans for managing access to the instrument for any projects that involve human subjects, vertebrate animals, or biohazards (e.g., infectious materials).  

2. Letters of Support

All letters of support should be combined in a single PDF named "Letters of Support" and uploaded as a distinct attachment. This combined file must include a letter(s) from the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) or Business Official or similar official with institution-wide responsibility that certifies:

• The applicant institution meets the eligibility criteria as defined in Part 2. Section III.1 "Eligible Organizations." In the letter state the institution's NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) support for each of the previous 3 years and the yearly average of the institutions Pell grant enrollment (%) from the three most recent years of reported data; 
• The institutional commitment to the housing, accessibility, and maintenance of the instrument;
• Any additional information regarding institutional support for personnel, maintenance, sample preparation space, or other factors that indicate the institution is committed to the successful implementation of the instrument; and
• If applicable, provide a table of instruments previously obtained through the RLI-S10 program. For each instrument briefly state the instrument name (e.g. Confocal Microscope), the installation date, the number of Major and Minor Users, and number of publications resulting from use of the instrument. 

If applicable, a letter(s) of support, from appropriate institutional officials, should also address the following:

• How the institution will ensure additional or sustaining infrastructure if necessary;
• Institutional commitment to provide additional funds if the requested Federal funds do not cover the total instrument cost;
• A containment plan for animals or infectious materials that could create a potential biohazard. A letter must be signed by the institutional biosafety officer affirming the plan was 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.

The PD/PI, Major Users (and technical staff, as applicable) must include a Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Supplement.

The Personal Statement in the NIH Biographical Supplement should be tailored to the unique attributes and requirements of this program; the PD/PI, Major Users, Laboratory Course Instructors and, if appropriate, technical staff should describe the following in the Personal Statement of the NIH Biographical Supplement:

• Technical expertise directly related to the requested instrument;
• Record of student training, if applicable. 

R&R Budget

Do not provide budget forms.

R&R Subaward Budget

Do not provide subaward budget forms.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

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

Other Plan(s): 

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) is not applicable to this NOFO.

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.

Applications will be awarded for a period of one year and are not renewable. 

Under the S10 program, funding requests are limited to the purchase cost including shipping, any applicable taxes and import duties/tariffs, as well as extended warranties and service contracts for the instrument only. Support for technical personnel, software (except as defined in Section I. Funding Opportunity Description), and supplies are not allowable. Cost sharing for 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 requested funds do not cover the total instrument cost, the application should describe the proposed source(s) of funding to cover the balance of the cost of the instrument and document institutional support in a letter signed by an appropriate institutional official. Note that any voluntarily committed cost will appear in the Notice of the Award and the institution must comply with the commitment and reporting requirements.

This Program does not provide facilities and administrative (F&A) costs or support for construction, alterations or renovations. Matching funds are not required. However, commitment of an appropriate level of institutional support, to ensure the associated sustaining infrastructure, is expected and should be described in Letters of Support.

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

• No animations/videos are allowed.

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.

This program is intended to strengthen both the biomedical research and educational capacity of resource-limited institutions and the instrument can be dedicated to a combination of research and/or laboratory coursework. There is no requirement or expectation that eligible institutions have existing NIH or other federally funded research programs. Although technical expertise to manage and use the instrument is expected, the application is not required to name dedicated technical staff to operate and manage the instrument. A faculty member who is a Major User or the PD/PI may serve in this capacity. The Parent S10 requires extensive plans for shared use and time allocation, which would be overly burdensome for a limited-resource institution; therefore, the RLI S10 requires a brief, higher-level organizational plan.

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 requested instrument, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining capacity building merit, and in providing an overall benefit 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 the Center for Scientific Review, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, 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, educational and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall benefit score.

Requests for reconsideration of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this NOFO. 

Applications will initially be assigned to NIGMS. 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 consistent with applicable law:

• Scientific, technical and educational merit of the proposed plan as determined by peer review;
• Availability of funds;
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities; and
• Portfolio balance, including instrument types and geographical and institutional distribution.

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.

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

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.

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

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) is not applicable to this NOFO.

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.

The following information about the award and the instrument must be included in the Final RPPR:

• Name of Instrument (including manufacturer and model)
• Total Purchase Cost
• Other Sources of Funding (if appropriate)
• Instrument Installation Date
• List of users and hours of use

Annual Instrument Usage Report

In addition, for the period of two years after the Final RPPR, on the anniversary of the award expiration date, Annual Instrument Usage Reports (AURs) must be provided to the NIH through the AOR. These reports will include analogous information requested in Final RPPR about the usage and operation of the instrument, description of research and educational activities which benefited from the instrument, and a summary of research and educational outcomes as documented by publications and any benefits to student learning or instruction.

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.

NIGMS will evaluate this program, employing the representative measures identified below. To assess the program's efficacy in research and education, NIGMS may use information from progress reports and public databases, PDs/PIs, and from equipment users. When appropriate, PDs/PIs and equipment users may be contacted after the completion of the grant period for updates on subsequent outcomes.

The overall evaluation of the program will be based on metrics that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Publications, abstracts, and other presentations that benefited from access to the instrument
• Coursework, workshops, and other teaching opportunities that included the instrument
• Grant applications that were strengthened or enabled by access to the instrument
• Numbers of major users, minor users, students and other researchers who had substantial exposure to the instrument

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).

NIGMS RLI S10
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
E-mail: NIGMSRLIS10@nigms.nih.gov

NIBIB - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING
E-mail: NIBIBInstrumentation@nih.gov

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

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: NINDSTrainingOffice@ninds.nih.gov

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Email: NIAMS_NOFOs@mail.nih.gov

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Email: NIDCR-Program@nih.gov

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

National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Email: NIGMSRLIS10@nidcd.gov

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Email: nimh.dst.inquiries@mail.nih.gov.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Email: nhgri-research-funding@mail.nih.gov

NEI Extramural Programs 
NEI_extramural@nih.gov

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Email: NOFOReviewContact@csr.nih.gov
 

NIGMS CARAS DEA
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
E-mail: NIGMS_CARAS_DEA@nigms.nih.gov

NIBIB - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING
E-mail: nibibchiefgrantsmanagementofficer@nih.gov

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

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Chief Grants Management Officer 
Email: ChiefGrantsManagementOfficer@ninds.nih.gov 

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Email: NIAMSGrants@nih.gov

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Email: deeranotifications@nidcr.nih.gov

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

National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Email: NIDCDGrantsMgt@nidcd.nih.gov

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Email: NIMHNOFOGrantsManagement@mail.nih.gov 

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Email: nhgrigab@mail.nih.gov

NEI Grants Management 
NEI_extramural@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.

The Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10) was enacted under the U.S. Code Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare Chapter 6A - Public Health Service Subchapter iii - National Research Institutes Part A - National Institutes of Health §283n - Shared Instrumentation Grant Program.