Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: September 25, 2025 | September 25, 2026
Funding Amounts: Up to $350,000 direct costs for a single year; minimum request $50,000; project period is 12 months.
Summary: Supports the purchase of modern equipment to enhance and modernize operations of shared-use biomedical research facilities, excluding scientific research instruments.
Key Information: Only one application per institution per cycle; equipment must be for a single shared facility; scientific instruments and building infrastructure are not eligible.
Description
This opportunity provides funding for eligible academic or research institutions to acquire the latest equipment that will modernize and enhance the operations of existing shared-use biomedical research facilities. The focus is on improving research-supporting operations in core laboratories, animal research facilities, and similar shared spaces. The program does not support the purchase of scientific research instruments (e.g., microscopes, sequencers) or building-level infrastructure (e.g., HVAC systems).
The goal is to strengthen the auxiliary activities that underpin biomedical research, such as facility operations, environmental control, and support services, thereby increasing efficiency and capacity for a broad institutional research community.
Due Dates
- September 25, 2025 (application due by 5:00 PM local time)
- September 25, 2026 (final cycle; program expires September 26, 2026)
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow time for corrections.
Funding Amount
- Maximum award: $350,000 (direct costs only) for a single 12-month project period.
- Minimum request: $50,000 (direct costs).
- For multiple items of the same equipment type: Each must be at least $15,000.
- Project period: 1 year (no renewals or extensions).
- Cost sharing: Not required.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, excluding higher education)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Federally recognized and other Native American tribal governments/organizations
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- U.S. territories and possessions
Note:
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign components are not eligible.
- Only one application per institution (as defined by UEI or NIH IPF number) per cycle.
- An institution with an active award from this program cannot apply again until the previous award is closed out.
Eligible Facilities
- Existing, operational shared-use core laboratories, animal research facilities, or similar research support spaces.
- Facility must be operational at the time of application (if under renovation, a certificate of beneficial occupancy is required at just-in-time).
Eligible Individuals
- Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources to carry out the project as PD/PI.
- PD/PI must be affiliated with the applicant institution and registered in eRA Commons.
- Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.
Application Process
- Read the full NOFO: NIH PAR-24-259
- Register: Ensure your institution is registered in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons.
- Prepare application: Use NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or your institution’s S2S system.
- Required attachments:
- Modernization Plan (11 pages max, with specific section limits)
- Letters of support (up to 3, including from a high-ranking institutional official)
- Vendor quote(s) for requested equipment (with warranty and academic discount)
- Floor plan showing equipment location
- Letter from Director of Planning, Design, and Construction confirming space/utilities suitability
- Timeline for the 1-year project
- Submit by deadline: All applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov.
- Review process: Applications are peer-reviewed for scientific and technical merit, with a focus on operational impact, innovation, and institutional commitment.
Allowable and Unallowable Costs
Allowable
- Purchase and installation of a single type of modern equipment (or multiple units of the same type) for a shared-use facility
- Auxiliary items required for the main equipment to function (must be dedicated and not stand-alone)
- Equipment that modernizes, streamlines, or improves facility operations (e.g., biobanking equipment, environmental chambers, automated cage washers, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, etc.)
Not Allowable
- Scientific research instruments (e.g., microscopes, sequencers, spectrometers, imagers, cell analyzers, PCR machines, chromatography equipment)
- Components of scientific instruments
- Building-level infrastructure (e.g., HVAC, water treatment, power generators)
- General outfitting or clusters of equipment serving multiple functions
- Routine upgrades, replacements, or maintenance contracts
- Personnel, travel, consumables, or service contracts beyond the first year
- Equipment not commercially available or lacking a one-year warranty
Additional Information
- Only one application per institution per cycle.
- Only one type of equipment per application. Applications requesting more than one equipment type will not be reviewed.
- Equipment must be installed in a shared-use facility and benefit a broad research community.
- NIGMS co-funding: Institutions with limited NIH RPG funding may be eligible for NIGMS co-funding if aligned with NIGMS mission.
- Energy efficiency: Applicants are encouraged to request equipment with the highest available energy efficiency.
External Links
Contact Information
For full agency contacts, see Section VII of the NOFO.