Part I Overview Information

Department of Health and Human Services

Participating Organizations
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)

Components of Participating Organizations
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov)

Title: Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10)

Announcement Type
This is a reissue of PAR-09-028.

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

• December 16, 2010 - This PAR has been reissued as PAR-11-081.
• August 16, 2010 - IMPORTANT NOTE! NIH has eliminated the error correction window for due dates of January 25, 2011 and beyond. As of January 25, all corrections must be complete by the due date for an application to be considered on-time. See NOT-OD-10-123.

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-10-082

NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.

This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter called Grants.gov/Apply).

A registration process is necessary before submission and applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four (4) weeks prior to the grant submission date. See Section IV.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)
93.389

Key Dates

Release/Posted Date: January 12, 2010
Opening Date: February 23, 2010 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)
Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): Not Applicable
NOTE: On-time submission requires that applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization).
Application Due Date(s): March 23, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): June-July, October- November
Council Review Date(s): October 2010, January 2011
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): April 1, 2011
Additional Information To Be Available Date (Activation Date): Not Applicable
Expiration Date: March 24, 2010

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Additional Overview Content

Executive Summary

• Purpose. The NCRR Shared Instrument Grant (SIG) program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase or upgrade a single item of expensive, specialized, commercially available instrumentation or an integrated system that costs at least $100,000. The maximum award is $600,000. Types of instruments supported include confocal and electron microscopes, biomedical imagers, mass spectrometers, DNA sequencers, biosensors, cell sorters, X-ray diffraction systems, and NMR spectrometers among others.
• Mechanism of Support. This funding opportunity will use the NIH S10 mechanism.
• Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. The NCRR intends to commit approximately $43 million in FY2011 to fund approximately 125 new awards. Since the cost of the various instruments will vary, it is anticipated that the size of awards will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend on the funds available for the SIG program.
• Budget and Project Period. Awards are for one year and for the direct cost of the instrument only. Cost sharing is not required in the SIG program.
• Page Limits. Page limits are referred to in Section 6. Other Submission Requirements.
• Eligible Institutions/Organizations. Eligible institutions include domestic non-profit organizations, public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges and hospitals.
• Eligible Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs). Eligible principal investigators include any technically qualified research scientists. To be eligible to apply, three or more NIH funded investigators (Principal Investigators of active P01, R01, U01, R35, R37, DP1 or DP2 research grants) who will be users of the requested instruments must be identified.
• Number of PDs/PIs. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed under the S10 mechanism.
• Number of Applications. There is no limit on the number of applications an institution may submit provided the applications are for different types of equipment.
• Resubmissions. Applicants may submit a resubmission application, but such applications must include an Introduction addressing the previous peer review critique (Summary Statement). See new NIH policy on resubmission (amended) applications (NOT-OD-09-003, NOT-OD-09-016).
• Renewals. Renewal (formerly competing continuation or Type 2 ) applications are not permitted.
• Special Dates. This FOA uses non-standard due dates. See Receipt, Review and Anticipated Start Dates.
• Application Materials. See Section IV.1 for application materials.
• General Information. For general information on SF424 (R&R) Application and Electronic Submission, see these Web sites:
  • SF424 (R&R) Application and Electronic Submission Information: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm
  • General information on Electronic Submission of Grant Applications: http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/
• Hearing Impaired. Telecommunications for the hearing impaired are available at: TTY: (301) 451-5936

Table of Contents

Part I Overview Information

Part II Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Research Objectives

Section II. Award Information
1. Mechanism of Support
2. Funds Available

Section III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
A. Eligible Institutions
B. Eligible Individuals
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria

Section IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Request Application Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Submission Dates and Times
A. Submission, Review, and Anticipated Start Dates
1. Letter of Intent
B. Submitting an Application Electronically to the NIH
C. Application Processing
4. Intergovernmental Review
5. Funding Restrictions
6. Other Submission Requirements

Section V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Section VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
A. Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
1. Principal Investigator Rights and Responsibilities
2. NIH Responsibilities
3. Collaborative Responsibilities
4. Arbitration Process
3. Reporting

Section VII. Agency Contacts
1. Scientific/Research Contact(s)
2. Peer Review Contact(s)
3. Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Section VIII. Other Information - Required Federal Citations

Part II - Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

1. Research Objectives

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to continue the competitive National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program initiated in Fiscal Year 1982. Results of the most recent study, The National Survey of Academic Research Instruments and Instrumentation, published in 1997 identified bioanalytical equipment of the type provided through this Program as the top most priority. The objective of the program is to make available to institutions expensive research instruments that can only be justified on a shared-use basis and for which meritorious NIH research projects in basic, translational or clinical areas are described. The SIG program provides funds to purchase or upgrade to a single item of expensive, specialized, commercially available instrumentation or an integrated instrument system. An integrated instrument system is one in which the components, when used in conjunction with one another, perform a function that no single component could provide. The components must be dedicated to the system and not used independently. Increase in productivity or efficiency is not sufficient justification for an integrated system. Instruments must be for research purposes only. Foreign made equipment is allowable.

This program is designed to provide for the acquisition or updating of expensive shared-use instrumentation not generally available through other NIH mechanisms, such as the regular research project, program project, or center grant programs. Proposals for research on advancing the design or for the development of new instrumentation will not be considered.

Types of instrumentation supported include, but are not limited to, nuclear magnetic resonance systems, electron and confocal microscopes, mass spectrometers, protein and DNA sequencers, biosensors, x-ray diffractometers and cell sorters. Proposals for "stand alone" computer systems (supercomputers, computer clusters and storage systems) will only be considered if the instrument is solely dedicated to the research needs of a broad community of NIH-supported investigators.

The SIG program will not support requests for:

• the development of new instrumentation;
• general purpose equipment or purely instructional equipment;
• instruments used for clinical (billable) care;
• an instrument with a base cost of less than $100,000;
• multiple instruments bundled together to meet the $100,000 minimum;
• a series of complementary related instruments which share a common research focus;
• an assortment of instruments to furnish a research facility;
• software unless it is integral to the operation of a piece of equipment;
• institutional administrative management systems, clinical management systems;
• equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure: standard computer networks, autoclaves, hoods and equipment to upgrade animal facilities;

For eligibility, a major user group of three or more investigators who are Principal Investigators on active NIH research grants with the following activity codes, P01, R01, U01, R35, R37, DPI and DP2 must be identified. Once this eligibility requirement has been met, additional users with other types of active NIH research grants (such as but not limited to R03, R21, R55, RC, RL, P30, P41, P50) mechanisms can be added as major or minor users. NIH training grants and contracts are not eligible. To demonstrate the clear need for the requested instrumentation, projects supported by NIH research grants should require at least 75 percent of the total usage time.

Major users can be individual researchers, or a group of investigators within the same department or from several departments at the applicant institution. NIH extramural awardees from other nearby institutions may also be included.

If the major user group does not require total usage of the instrument, access to the instrument should be made available to other users upon the advice of the internal advisory committee (see below). These users need not be NIH awardees, but priority should be given to NIH-supported scientists engaged in biomedical/behavioral research. To promote cost effectiveness, to encourage optimal sharing among individual investigators, research groups and departments, and to foster a collaborative multidisciplinary environment, the instrument should be integrated into a central core facility, whenever possible.

Each applicant institution must propose a Principal Investigator who can assume administrative/scientific oversight responsibility for the instrumentation requested. This person need not be an NIH grantee but must be affiliated with the applicant institution and registered on the eRA Commons. An internal advisory committee must be named to assist the Principal Investigator in administering the grant and overseeing the usage of the instrument. The membership of this committee should be broadly based and include members without conflicts of interest who can resolve disputes if they arise. The Principal Investigator and the advisory committee are responsible for the development of guidelines for:

• Maximum utilization of the instrument, including time allocation.
• A detailed plan for the day-to-day management and safe operation of the instrument.
• If appropriate, a plan to ensure that access to the instrument is limited to users whose projects have received approval by institutional human subjects, animal welfare or biosafety committees.
• A financial plan for the long term operation and maintenance of the instrument during the post award period.
• The relocation of the instrument within the institution if the major user group is significantly altered.
• The Principal Investigator also will be responsible for:
• Requesting no-cost extensions of the project period, if needed.
• Submitting a Final Progress Report, ninety days following the end of the project period, which describes the instrument purchased, a list of all users and a description of the value of the instrument to the investigators and to the institution as a whole.

See Section VIII, Other Information - Required Federal Citations, for policies related to this announcement.

Section II. Award Information

1. Mechanism of Support

This funding opportunity will use the S10 (SIG) award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project.

This funding opportunity does not use the Just-in-Time concepts. It also uses (see Section IV.6) Other Submission Requirements.

2. Funds Available

Although the financial plans of the NCRR provide support for this program, awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

The NCRR intends to commit approximately $43 million in FY2011 to fund approximately 125 new awards. Applications will be accepted that request a single, commercially available instrument or integrated system which costs at least $100,000. There is no upper limit on the cost of the instrument, but the maximum award is $600,000. Since the cost of the various instruments will vary, it is anticipated that the size of the award also will vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend on the funds available for the SIG program. Awards are made for one year and for direct cost of the instrument only. The anticipated start date is April 1, 2011.

Under the S10 mechanism, funding requests are limited to the purchase cost of the instrument only. Support for technical personnel, service contracts, extended warranties, and supplies are not allowable. Cost sharing towards purchase of the instrument is not required. 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 for the balance of the cost of the instrument. Documentation of the availability of the remainder of funding, signed by an appropriate institutional official, must be presented to NCRR prior to issuance of award.

The program does not provide facilities and administrative (F&A) costs or support for construction or 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. Grants will be awarded for a period of one year and are not renewable. Supplemental applications will not be accepted.

Applicants proposing purchase of an instrument that the institution is planning to lease prior to award are urged to consult with their institutional sponsored projects office regarding applicable NIH policy prior to executing the leasing agreement. If the leasing agreement was executed more than one year prior to submission of the SIG application, the applicant must provide strong justification for the requested Federal funds. Further, the instrument must be considered state-of-the-art at the time of submission of the SIG application. Award adjustments may be necessary. Execution of a purchase order or agreement, making a down payment or other formal commitment to purchase the equipment prior to award must be in compliance with NIH policy regarding pre-award cost authority (see most current version of the NIH Grants Policy Statement). Non-compliance with this policy automatically eliminates an applicant from eligibility for an award.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

1.A. Eligible Institutions

You may submit an application(s) if your institution/organization has any of the following characteristics:

• Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
• Private Institution of Higher Education
• Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
• Nonprofit without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)

Under the general research support authority of Section 301(a) (3) of the Public Health Service Act, Shared Instrumentation Grant awards are made to public and non-profit domestic institutions only. These institutions include health professional schools, other academic institutions, hospitals, health departments, and research organizations. Note that Federal institutions, foreign institutions, and for-profit institutions are not eligible to apply. A Federal institution is defined by the NIH as a Cabinet-level department or independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal Government or any component organization of such a department or agency.

1.B. Eligible Individuals

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Other-Special Eligibility Criteria

For eligibility, a major user group of three or more investigators who are Principal Investigators on active NIH research grants with the following activity codes, P01, R01, U01, R35, R37, DPI and DP2 must be identified. Once this eligibility requirement has been met, additional users with other types of active NIH research grants (such as but not limited to R03, R21, R55, RC, RL, P30, P-41, P-50) mechanisms can be added as major or minor users. NIH training grants and contracts are not eligible. To demonstrate the clear need for the requested instrumentation, projects supported by NIH research grants should require at least 75 percent of the total usage time of the equipment.

Applications will be accepted that request funds to purchase or upgrade a single, commercially-available instrument or integrated instrument system which costs at least $100,000. There is no restriction on the number of applications an institution can submit to the SIG program each year provided the applications request different types of equipment. However, if two or more applications are submitted for similar equipment (for example, two 600 MHz NMR spectrometers) from the same institution, documentation from a high level institutional official must be provided stating that this is not an unintended duplication, but part of a campus wide institutional plan. A single application requesting more than one type of instrumentation (for example, a mass spectrometer and a confocal microscope or a new NMR and an upgrade to an existing NMR) will not be considered appropriate for this FOA and will not be reviewed.

Number of Applications. There is no limit on the number of applications an institution may submit provided the applications are for different types of equipment (see above).

Resubmissions. Applicants may submit a resubmission application, but such applications must include an Introduction addressing the previous peer review critique (Summary Statement). See new NIH policy on resubmission (amended) applications (NOT-OD-09-003, NOT-OD-09-016). Original new applications that were submitted prior to January 25, 2009 are permitted two amendments (A1 and A2). For these grandfathered applications, NIH expects that any A2 will be submitted no later than January 7, 2011, and NIH will not accept A2 applications after that date.

Renewals. Renewal (formerly competing continuation or Type 2 ) applications are not permitted.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

To download a SF424 (R&R) Application Package and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for this FOA, use the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/ and follow the directions provided on that Web site.

Registration:

Appropriate registrations with Grants.gov and eRA Commons must be completed on or before the due date in order to successfully submit an application. Several of the steps of the registration process could take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered with both Grants.gov and the Commons. All registrations must be complete by the submission deadline for the application to be considered on-time (see 3.C.1 for more information about on-time submission).

A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:

• Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp) and
• eRA Commons (http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm)

PDs/PIs should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the NIH eRA Commons.

Several additional separate actions are required before an applicant can submit an electronic application, as follows:

1) Organizational/Institutional Registration in Grants.gov/Get Registered http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp

• Your organization will need to obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) as part of the Grants.gov registration process.
• If your organization does not have a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), allow for extra time. A valid TIN or EIN is necessary for CCR registration.
• The CCR also validates the EIN against Internal Revenue Service records, a step that will take an additional one to two business days.
• Direct questions regarding Grants.gov registration to:
  Grants.gov Customer Support
  Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726
  Business Hours: M-F 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  Email [email protected]

2) Organizational/Institutional Registration in the eRA Commons

• To find out if an organization is already Commons-registered, see the "List of Grantee Organizations Registered in NIH eRA Commons.
• Direct questions regarding the Commons registration to:
  eRA Commons Help Desk
  Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
  TTY: 301-451-5939
  Business hours M-F 7:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  Email [email protected]

3) Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the NIH eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.

• The individual(s) designated as PDs/PIs on the application must be registered also in the NIH eRA Commons. In the case of multiple PDs/PIs, all PDs/PIs must be registered and be assigned the PI role in the eRA Commons prior to the submission of the application.
• Each PD/PI must hold a PD/PI account in the Commons. Applicants should not share a Commons account for both an Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) role and a PD/PI role; however, if they have both a PD/PI role and an Internet Assisted Review (IAR) role, both roles should exist under one Commons account.
• When multiple PDs/PIs are proposed, all PDs/PIs at the applicant organization must be affiliated with that organization. PDs/PIs located at another institution need not be affiliated with the applicant organization, but must be affiliated with their own organization to be able to access the Commons.
• This registration/affiliation must be done by the AOR/SO or his/her designee who is already registered in the Commons.

Both the PD(s)/PI(s) and AOR/SO need separate accounts in the NIH eRA Commons since both are authorized to view the application image.

Note: The registration process is not sequential. Applicants should begin the registration processes for both Grants.gov and eRA Commons as soon as their organization has obtained a DUNS number. Only one DUNS number is required and the same DUNS number must be referenced when completing Grants.gov registration, eRA Commons registration and the SF424 (R&R) forms.

1. Request Application Information

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.

Note: Only the forms package directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA), although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than one FOA.

For further assistance, contact GrantsInfo -- Telephone 301-710-0267, Email: [email protected].

Telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY: (301) 451-5936

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R) application forms for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply and in accordance with the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm). .

The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. Some fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components, although not marked as mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component must contain the PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional information, see Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

The SF424 (R&R) application has several components. Some components are required, others are optional. The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLY includes all applicable components, required and optional. A completed application in response to this FOA includes the data in the following components:

Required Components:
SF424 (R&R) (Cover component)
Research & Related Project/Performance Site Locations
Research & Related Other Project Information
Research & Related Senior/Key Person
PHS398 Cover Page Supplement
PHS398 Checklist

Optional Components:
PHS398 Cover Letter File

3. Submission Dates and Times

See Section IV.3.A. for details.

3.A. Submission, Review, and Anticipated Start Dates
Opening Date: February 23, 2010 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)
Application Due Date(s): March 23, 2010
Peer Review Date(s): June-July, October-November
Council Review Date(s): October 2010, January 2011
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): April 1, 2011

3.A.1. Letter of Intent

A letter of intent is not required for the funding opportunity.

3.B. Submitting an Application Electronically to the NIH

To submit an application in response to this FOA, applicants should access this FOA via http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp and follow Steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted electronically. PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All attachments must be provided to NIH in PDF format, filenames must be included with no spaces or special characters, and a .pdf extension must be used.

3.C. Application Processing

3.C.1 Submitting On-Time

Applications may be submitted on or after the opening date and must be successfully received by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization) on the application due date(s). (See Section IV.3.A. for all dates.) If an application is not submitted by the due date(s) and time, the application may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed. All applications must meet the following criteria to be considered on-time :

• All registrations must be complete prior to the submission deadline
• The application must receive a Grants.gov tracking number and timestamp (or eRA help desk ticket confirming a system issue preventing submission) by 5:00 p.m. local time on the submission deadline date.
• Any system identified errors/warnings must be corrected and the submission process completed within the error correction window.

Please visit http://era.nih.gov/electronicReceipt/app_help.htm for detailed information on what to do if Grants.gov or eRA system issues threaten your ability to submit on time.

Submission to Grants.gov is not the last step applicants must follow their application through to the eRA Commons to check for errors and warnings and view their assembled application!

3.C.2 Two Day Window to Correct eRA Identified Errors/Warnings

IMPORTANT NOTE! NIH has eliminated the error correction window for due dates of January 25, 2011 and beyond. As of January 25, all corrections must be complete by the due date for an application to be considered on-time. See NOT-OD-10-123.

Once an application package has been successfully submitted through Grants.gov, NIH provides applicants a two day error correction window to correct any eRA identified errors or warnings before a final assembled application is created in the eRA Commons. The standard error correction window is two (2) business days, beginning the day after the submission deadline and excluding weekends and standard federal holidays. All errors must be corrected to successfully complete the submission process. Warnings will not prevent the application from completing the submission process.

Please note that the following caveats apply:

• Initial application submission must be on-time.
• The AOR/institutions is expected to enforce that application changes made within the error correction window are restricted to those necessary to address system-identified errors/warnings. NIH may reject any application that includes additional changes.
• Proof of on-time submission (e.g., Grants.gov timestamp and tracking number) and description of all changes made within the window must be documented in the PHS 398 Cover Letter component of the application.

3.C.3 Viewing an Application in the eRA Commons

Once any eRA identified errors have been addressed and the assembled application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and the Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) have two weekdays (Monday Friday, excluding Federal holidays) to view the assembled application before it automatically moves forward to NIH for further processing.

• If everything is acceptable, no further action is necessary. The application will automatically move forward to the Division of Receipt and Referral in the Center for Scientific Review for processing after two weekdays, excluding Federal holidays.
• Prior to the submission deadline, the AOR/SO can Reject the assembled application and submit a changed/corrected application within the two-day viewing window. This option should be used if it is determined that some part of the application was lost or did not transfer correctly during the submission process, the AOR/SO will have the option to Reject the application and submit a Changed/Corrected application. In these cases, please contact the eRA Help Desk to ensure that the issues are addressed and corrected. Once rejected, applicants should follow the instructions for correcting errors in Section 2.12 of the SF 424 (R&R) application guide, including the requirement for cover letters on late applications. The Reject feature should also be used if you determine that warnings are applicable to your application and need to be addressed now. Remember, warnings do not stop further application processing. If an application submission results in warnings (but no errors), it will automatically move forward after two weekdays if no action is taken. Some warnings may need to be addressed later in the process.
• If the two-day window falls after the submission deadline, the AOR/SO will have the option to Reject the application if, due to an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issue, the application does not correctly reflect the submitted application package (e.g., some part of the application was lost or didn t transfer correctly during the submission process). The AOR/SO should first contact the eRA Commons Helpdesk to confirm the system error, document the issue, and determine the best course of action. NIH will not penalize the applicant for an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issue.
• If the AOR/SO chooses to Reject the image after the submission deadline for a reason other than an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system failure, a changed/corrected application still can be submitted, but it will be subject to the NIH late policy guidelines and may not be accepted. The reason for this delay should be explained in the cover letter attachment.
• Both the AOR/SO and PD/PI will receive e-mail notifications when the application is rejected or the application automatically moves forward in the process after two weekdays.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

There will be an acknowledgement of receipt of applications from Grants.gov and the Commonshttps://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/. The submitting AOR/SO receives the Grants.gov acknowledgments. The AOR/SO and the PI receive Commons acknowledgments. Information related to the assignment of an application to a Scientific Review Group is also in the Commons.

Note: Since email can be unreliable, it is the responsibility of the applicant to check periodically on their application status in the Commons.

The NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial merit review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. However, the NIH will accept a resubmission application, but such application must include an Introduction addressing the critique from the previous review.

4. Intergovernmental Review

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

5. 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. A grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new award if such costs: 1) are necessary to conduct the project, and 2) would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval. If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning date of the initial budget period of a new award.

The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either to make the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project. See NIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/NIHGPS_Part6.htm.

6. Other Submission Requirements

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are advised to follow carefully the instructions given for electronic submission and the use of the SF424 (R&R) form at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/. Below are special instructions for this FOA describing the information that must be included in the required components mentioned above. Incomplete and non-compliant applications will be withdrawn and will not be reviewed.

SF424 (R&R) Cover Component

11. Descriptive Title. Enter the name of the instrument requested (for example, 600MHz NMR Spectrometer.

12. Proposed Project. Enter start date of 04/01/2011 and end date of 03/31/2012.

15. Estimated Project Funding. Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument in line a. This will be the total cost since the award period for the SIG program is one year. If the cost of the instrument is more than $600,000, enter $600,000 on this line, since this is the maximum award under the SIG program. In line b, enter the total cost of the instrument from the quote. If lines a and b are not the same, explain the difference in section 11 Equipment in the Other Project Information component (see below). Enter zero for line c.

SF424 Research & Related Other Project Information

1. Are Human Subjects Involved? Check no.

2. Are Vertebrate Animals Used? Check no.

7. Project Summary/Abstract.

The Project Summary/Abstract is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work when separated from the application. State the application’s broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, making reference to the health relatedness of the project. Describe concisely the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. This section should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, should be understandable to a scientifically or technically literate reader.

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

8. Project Narrative.

Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance of this research to public health. In this section be succinct and use plain language that can be understood by a general, lay audience.

9. Bibliography & References Cited: If possible, each major user should list only those publications that demonstrate the user's expertise in using the requested instrumentation.

10. Facilities & Other Resources. Not applicable. Do not include an attachment here.

11. Equipment. Describe the instrument requested including manufacturer and model number. The model chosen should be justified by comparing its performance with other available instruments where appropriate. Specific features and any accessories should be justified, both in this section and in the description of research projects. Such accessories must be utilized by at least half of the users. Provide a detailed budget breakdown of the main equipment and accessories requested including tax and import duties, if applicable. An itemized quote, with appropriate discount from a vendor should be included. The quote must be scanned and combined in a single attachment with the equipment description as part of the item 11 upload. If human 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. In this case, a signed letter from the institutional biosafety committee stating that they have reviewed the proposed containment plan and that the plan adheres to documented biosafety regulations is required in the application. This letter must be scanned and uploaded in the Other Attachments section (line 12).

12. Other Attachments.

Instrumentation Plan:

Introduction: If you are submitting a resubmission (Cover Page Item 8) then you should include an Introduction describing the changes that have been made in response to comments in the previous review. This Introduction may not exceed three pages.

Organize the Instrumentation Plan in the specified order starting each section with the appropriate section heading (i.e. Justification of Need, Research Projects etc.). For this FOA, there is no overall page limit for the entire Instrumentation Plan. However, there are specified page limitations for individual sections (see below). The sections cannot exceed the page maximum including tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts. Do not include links to Web sites for further information. Do not include animations.

A) Justification of Need (Page Limit: 6 Pages)

Describe the instrument requested. Inventory similar instruments existing at the applicant institution, neighboring research institutions, or otherwise accessible; describe why they are unavailable or inappropriate for the proposed research. Provide a clear justification why new or updated equipment, including accessories, are needed. Include specific documentation on the current usage and downtime of existing instruments and a realistic estimate of the projected usage for the requested instrument. Such documentation should be expressed as hours of use, setup time, etc., per day or week, not simply as percentage of available time. Be specific and quantitative.

B) Research Projects

Major Users (Page Limit: 6 Pages Per User)

Give a brief description of the major users projects. Since the projects have been previously peer reviewed, the project descriptions should be concise and focus on the benefit of the instrument to the research objectives of each user. Sufficient technical detail (preliminary data and/or supplemental information) should be included to evaluate whether the instrument is appropriate, would be effectively employed, and would provide advantages over other methods. The need for special features and accessories must be justified. Individual projects that require a specific option or upgrade (e.g., a UV laser) should describe the specific studies that utilize this option. At least half of the users should need these options. If the number of projects is large and broadly diversified, select a smaller representative group (8-10) major users. The research project descriptions should be informative and succinct. Although there is a page maximum of 6 pages per major user, three pages or less per major user is recommended.

Minor Users (Page Limit: 6 Pages)

For minor users, only include a very brief summary of the research related to the need for the requested instrument. The minor user’s project descriptions , in total, cannot exceed a 6 page maximum .C) Summary Table(s) (Page Limit: 6 Pages)

Use a table to list the names of the users from section B, brief titles of the projects, the NIH grant numbers and the estimated percentage of use. Make a separate table to indicate the users needs for the requested accessories.

D) Technical Expertise (Page Limit: Sections D plus E = 6 Pages Total)

Describe the technical expertise present at the institution to set up, run and maintain the instrument. Specify who will operate the instrument, train new users, ensure that it is operated safely and appropriately maintained.

E) Organizational / Management Plan

Describe the organizational plan to administer the grant. Include how the instrument will be utilized, how requests will be made, how time will be allocated among major and minor users and plans for attracting new users. List the names and titles of the members of the local advisory committee. Describe a plan for managing access to the instrument if users projects involve human subjects, animals or human of infectious materials.

Submit a specific financial plan for long-term operation and maintenance of the instrument. Explain how the costs to place the instrument in operational order as well as the maintenance, support personnel, and service costs associated with effective use of the instrument will be met.

F) Institutional Commitment (Page Limit: Sections F plus G = 6 Pages Total)

Describe the institutional infrastructure available to support the instrumentation. Provide documentation (e.g., separate letters signed by appropriate institutional officials) specifically describing the required institutional commitment (in dollars) in support of the proposed plan. Those letters must be named Letters of Support and uploaded as a separate file in the Other Attachments section (line 12).

G) Overall Benefit

Explain how the instrument will impact NIH funded research and contribute to the institution’s long- range biomedical research goals.

The entire Instrumentation Plan (Section A-G) must be saved as a single file (named Instrumentation Plan)) and attached as Item 12 Other Attachments. Although there is no overall page limit, applicants are reminded to be informative yet succinct.

• Letter of Support are not included in the page limitations. Letters from institutional officials (mentioned in section F, Institutional Commitment) and letters from the biosafety committee (mentioned in Item 11, Equipment) should be combined in a single file named Letters of Support and uploaded under Item 12, Other Attachments.
• Appendices are not allowed.

Senior/Key Person Profile(s) Component

Include profiles for the Principal Investigator, the Major Users, and for the technical person(s) responsible for the maintenance and operation of the instrument. For the Major Users, select Other under Project Role. Then complete the Other Project Role Category by inserting Major User. For technical person(s), select Technician for Project Role field. Follow the instructions in the Application Guide for Additional Senior/Key Person Profile(s) if there are more than 8 major users.

NOTE: Current and Pending Support. Since JIT does not apply to the S10 mechanism thisFOA requires current and pending support for the Principal Investigator, each major user and/or technician at the time of application submission. Follow the format provided in Other Support section of the Application Guide (Part III. Section I.H. Other Support).

PD/PI Credential (e.g., Agency Login)

The NIH requires the PD(s)/PI(s) to fill in his/her Commons User ID in the PROFILE Project Director/Principal Investigator section, Credential log-in field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component.

Organizational DUNS

The applicant organization must include its DUNS number in its Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. This DUNS number must match the DUNS number provided at CCR registration with Grants.gov. For additional information, see Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

PHS398 Research Plan Component Sections

Budget Component

This funding opportunity does not use the Just-in-Time concepts.

Resource Sharing Plan(s)

The following resource sharing policies do not apply to this FOA:

• Data Sharing Plan. Not Applicable
• Sharing Model Organisms. Not Applicable
• Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). Not Applicable

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process.

2. Review and Selection Process

Review Process

The mission of the NIH is to support science in pursuit of knowledge about the biology and behavior of living systems and to apply that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. As part of this mission, applications submitted to the NIH for grants or cooperative agreements to support biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Applications that are complete will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate scientific review group(s) in accordance with NIH peer review procedures (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/peer/) using the review criteria stated below.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will:

• 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 impact/priority score;
• Receive a written critique; and

• Receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Research Resources Council (NARRC).

Overall Impact/Benefit. Reviewers will briefly summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the application; assess the potential benefit of the instrument requested for the overall research community and its potential impact on NIH-funded research; and provide comments on the overall need of the users which led to their final recommendation and level of enthusiasm.

Scored Review Criteria. Reviewers will consider each of the five review criteria below in the determination of scientific and technical 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.

Justification of Need: Is the need for the instrument clearly and adequately justified? Is the equipment essential and appropriate?

Technical Expertise: Does the institution have the technical expertise to make effective use of the requested equipment? How well qualified are the participating investigators or other assigned personnel to operate and maintain the instrument, conduct the projects, and evaluate the research results? How will new users be trained? How will biosafety procedures be implemented?

Research Projects: Will research with the requested instrument advance the knowledge and understanding of the proposed projects? How would the research project of each major user be enhanced?

Administration: Is the plan for the management and maintenance of the requested instrument appropriate? Is the membership of the advisory committee broadly based to oversee the use of the instrument for a wide range of biomedical investigators? How will research time be allocated among the projects? Are the sharing arrangements equitable? If needed, are the policies to manage human subject, animal or biohazardous materials projects adequate? Is the financial plan for long-term operation and maintenance of the instrument reasonable?

Institutional Commitment: What is the evidence of institutional commitment for continued support of the utilization and maintenance of the instrument? Is there appropriate documentation (letters from institutional officials)?

Additional Review Criteria. As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional item in the determination of scientific and technical merit, but will not give a separate score for this item.

Resubmission Applications (formerly revised/amended applications): Are the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group adequate? Are the improvements in the resubmission application appropriate?

Additional Review Considerations. As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will address the following item, but will not give a score for the items and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.

Budget and Period of Support: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the appropriateness of the requested period of support in relation to the proposed research may be assessed by the reviewers. The priority score should not be affected by the evaluation of the budget.

Selection Process

In making funding decisions, the NCRR will give consideration to the following:

• scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review
• availability of funds
• relevance of program priorities
• program balance among various types of instruments supported and geographic distribution of awards

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Not Applicable

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

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 NIH eRA Commons.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document. Once all administrative and programmatic issues have been resolved, the NoA will be generated via email notification from the awarding component to the grantee business official.

Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs. See Section IV.5., Funding Restrictions.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. 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, Grantees, and Activities.

3. Reporting

Ninety days following the end of the project period, a Final Progress report is required that describes the instrument purchased, and a list of all users and description of the value of the instrument to the investigators and to the institution as a whole. The Final Progress Report instructions are available at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/biotech/btforms.asp.The Final Progress Report can be submitted electronically through the Closeout feature in the eRA Commons.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage your inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three areas: scientific/research (program), peer review, and financial or grants management issues:

1. Scientific/Research Contacts:

Marjorie A. Tingle, PhD
Shared Instrumentation Grant Program
National Center for Research Resources
6701 Democracy Blvd, Bldg 1, Room 958 MSC 4874
Bethesda, MD 20892-4874 (courier service 20817)
Telephone: (301) 435-0772
Fax: (301) 480-3659
Email: [email protected]

2. Peer Review Contacts:

Not Applicable

3. Financial or Grants Management Contacts:

Ms. Quadira Huff
Office of Grants Management
National Center for Research Resources
6701 Democracy Blvd. Bldg 1, Room 1062
MSC 4874
Bethesda, MD 20892-4874
Telephone: (301) 435-0852
Fax: (301) 480-3777
Email: [email protected]

Section VIII. Other Information

Required Federal Citations

NIH Public Access Policy Requirement:
In accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy, investigators funded by the NIH must submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (see http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/), an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication. The NIH Public Access Policy is available at (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html). For more information, see the Public Access webpage at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/.

URLs in NIH Grant Applications or Appendices:
All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. For publications listed in the appendix and/or Progress report, Internet addresses (URLs) or PubMed Central (PMC) submission identification numbers must be used for publicly accessible on-line journal articles. Publicly accessible on-line journal articles or PMC articles/manuscripts accepted for publication that are directly relevant to the project may be included only as URLs or PMC submission identification numbers accompanying the full reference in either the Bibliography & References Cited section, the Progress Report Publication List section, or the Biographical Sketch section of the NIH grant application. A URL or PMC submission identification number citation may be repeated in each of these sections as appropriate. There is no limit to the number of URLs or PMC submission identification numbers that can be cited.

Healthy People 2010:
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This FOA is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

Authority and Regulations:
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372. 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 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.