BY DR. MARY ANN WU , March 1, 2021
NIGMS recognizes the need to provide support to grantees for equipment, particularly to replace essential instrumentation that breaks down, or to expand into rapidly growing research areas. As an example, advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) detectors, microscopes, and methods have made acquisition of atomic resolution structural data a reality, and investigators need these to prepare viable specimens and process data in their home labs to successfully utilize cryo-EM data collection resources elsewhere.
We’re pleased to share with you recent funding opportunities for equipment support.
Two NIGMS notices of special interest (NOSI) offer administrative supplements for equipment to select research projects or center/core facilities. We welcome requests for single equipment systems that will advance the funded research of the parent project. Eligible investigators are strongly encouraged to discuss potential requests with the program officer of the parent award before submitting an application.
- NIGMS R01, R35 and R37 awardees should refer to NOT-GM-21-030.
- Funds are available for the purchase of single equipment systems with requested direct costs up to $250,000.
- Applications for the single equipment system can be submitted by a single grantee or two—and only two—grantees at the same institution.
- The application deadline is April 8, 2021.
- NIGMS centers and core facilities awardees should refer to NOT-GM-21-029.
- Funds are available for the purchase of needed equipment within the scope of the parent project to enhance user access to and impact of the resource.
- The application deadline is April 30, 2021.
The NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs has issued the following three funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for the S10 Instrumentation Programs to make available modern scientific instruments that are needed by NIH-funded investigators at academic and research institutions nationwide. NIGMS participates in these programs and is interested in considering applications that advance our funded researchers’ projects as well as applications submitted from institutions within Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible states. The application deadline for the S10 Instrumentation Programs is June 1, 2021.
- Basic Instrumentation Grant Program (PAR-21-125)
- Limited to institutions that haven’t received S10 instrumentation funding of $250,001 or greater in any of the fiscal years 2018 to 2020
- For applications with budgets between $25,000 and $250,000
- Shared Instrument Grant Program (PAR-21-127)
- For applications with budgets between $50,000 and $600,000
- High-End Instrumentation Grant Program (PAR-21-126)
- For applications with budgets between $600,001 and $2,000,000
S10 grants are awarded to domestic academic and nonprofit institutions for instruments that include, but are not limited to, X-ray diffractometers, mass spectrometers, NMR spectrometers, DNA and protein sequencers, biosensors, electron and light microscopes, cell sorters, high throughput robotic screening systems, and biomedical imagers. Eligibility for an S10 award requires an institution to identify three or more principal investigators (major users) with active NIH research awards who demonstrate substantial need for the requested instrument. Please see the FOAs for instructions on how to apply and the frequently asked questions about the S10 Programs.