Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 2, 2025 | June 1, 2026 | June 1, 2027 (new, renewal, resubmission)
Funding Amounts: $25,000 minimum; up to $350,000 maximum for a single instrument; one-year award
Summary: Supports purchase of a single, new, specialized research instrument for NIH-funded user groups at institutions without recent large S10 instrumentation awards.
Key Information: Limited to institutions that have not received $500,001+ in S10 funding in the preceding 3 federal fiscal years; only one application per institution per cycle.
Description
This opportunity provides funding for the purchase of a single, new, costly, specialized, commercially available research instrument or integrated instrumentation system. The program is designed to broaden access to modern technologies for NIH-funded investigators at institutions that have not recently received substantial S10 instrumentation funding. The instrument must be dedicated to research use and integrated into a core facility or shared laboratory space to maximize institutional and regional impact.
The program specifically targets institutions that are not major recipients of NIH research funding, including those in Institutional Development Award (IDeA) states and those serving diverse populations. The goal is to enhance research capabilities, stimulate new collaborations, and increase overall research competitiveness.
Due Dates
- June 2, 2025 (new, renewal, resubmission)
- June 1, 2026 (new, renewal, resubmission)
- June 1, 2027 (new, renewal, resubmission)
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
Funding Amount
- Minimum request: $25,000
- Maximum request: $350,000 (no maximum instrument price, but NIH will fund up to $350,000)
- Award duration: One year (non-renewable)
- Indirect costs: Not allowed
- Cost sharing: Not required, but voluntary institutional contributions are permitted
Eligibility
- Eligible institutions:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
- Other eligible organizations (e.g., HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs)
- Ineligible: Non-U.S. organizations, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components
- Institutional limitation: Institution must not have received $500,001 or more in S10 instrumentation funding in the preceding 3 federal fiscal years (see program announcement for details by submission year)
- Application limitation: Only one application per institution (per UEI) per due date
- Major User Group: At least three major users, each with an active NIH research award (R03, R15, R21, SC1, SC2, SC3, etc.), must be identified. Collectively, their projects must use at least 25% of the instrument’s accessible usage time (AUT); all users together must account for at least 55% of AUT.
Application Process
- Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
- Required registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov (allow several weeks for setup)
- Application components:
- SF424 (R&R) forms
- Instrumentation Plan (with specific page limits for each section)
- Itemized vendor quote (with academic discounts and warranty terms)
- Letters of support, including institutional attestation of S10 funding status
- Advisory Committee and management plan
- Financial plan for long-term operation and maintenance
- Review criteria: Justification of need, technical expertise, research projects, administration, and institutional commitment
- No clinical trials: Applications proposing clinical trials are not allowed
Additional Information
- Supported instruments: Examples include cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, computer systems (dedicated to biomedical research)
- Not supported: Multiple instruments, instructional equipment, clinical/billable care equipment, non-commercial or unwarrantied instruments, general-purpose equipment, software not integral to instrument operation, renovations, or supplies
- Instrument location: Must be in a core facility, shared resource, or shared laboratory space
- Reporting: Final Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) and four years of annual usage reports required post-award
- **Contact NIH program staff with questions about eligibility, equipment, or application requirements before submission
External Links
Contact Information