Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information
Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) (IC Removed per NOT-OD-12-076)

Funding Opportunity Title

Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10)

Activity Code

S10 Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants (NCRR)

Announcement Type

Reissue of PAR-11-081

Related Notices

  • October 16, 2012 - This PAR has been reissued as PAR-13-008.
  • March 6, 2012 - See Notice NOT-OD-12-076. Notice of Change in Participation of NIH Institutes and Centers.
  • December 12, 2011 - See Notice NOT-RR-12-003. Notice of Continued Operation of Shared Instrumentation Grant Program.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number

PAR-12-017

Companion FOA

None

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 Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)

93.351

FOA 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.

Key Dates
Posted Date

November 17, 2011

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

February 21, 2012

Letter of Intent Due Date

Not Applicable.

Application Due Date(s)

March 21, 2012, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable.

Scientific Merit Review

June-July, September-November, 2012

Advisory Council Review

October 2012, January 2013

Earliest Start Date(s)

April 1, 2013

Expiration Date

March 22, 2012

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable.

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to continue the competitive National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program. 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 that are needed for NIH-supported projects in basic, translational or clinical areas. The SIG program provides funds to purchase or upgrade 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. Applications for research on advancing the design or for the development of new instrumentation are not appropriate for this FOA.

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. Applications 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:

A list of appropriate equipment can be found at http://ncrr.nih.gov/research_funding/instruments/.

For eligibility, a major user group of three or more investigators who are Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) 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, 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, the projects supported by NIH research grants should together require at least 75 percent with the major user group accounts for at least 35 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 other 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 in a centralized core facility, whenever possible.

Each applicant institution must propose a Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) 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 Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) 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 Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) and the advisory committee are responsible for the development of guidelines for:

The Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) also will be responsible for:

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

Section II. Award Information
Funding Instrument

Grant

Application Types Allowed

New
Resubmission

The OER Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

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 FY2013 to fund approximately 110 new awards.

Award Budget

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.

Award Project Period

Awards are made for one year and for direct cost of the instrument only.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Organizations

Higher Education Institutions

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions 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. 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.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) 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.

Required Registrations

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

All Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least 4-6 weeks prior to the application due date.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s))

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 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

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

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

For eligibility, a major user group of three or more investigators who are Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) 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, 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 with the major user group accounts for at least 35 percent - of the total usage time.

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.

NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.

Determination of New Application Status: A new application is expected to be substantially different in content and scope with more significant differences than are normally encountered in a resubmitted application. For S10 applications, there must be a substantial change in more than one critical aspect of the application, which may include a change in the composition of major or minor users due to a change in instrumentation needs or NIH grant support, inclusion of new preliminary data for several users, specific documented changes in institutional commitment or changes in technical expertise and the administrative/management structure.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

Letter of Intent

Not Applicable.

Required and Optional Components

The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this FOA. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.

Page Limitations

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).

PHS 398 Research Plan Component

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Resource Sharing Plan

Not Applicable.

Appendix

Appendices are not allowed in this FOA. If appendix material is included, the application may not be reviewed.

3. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications via 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.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application 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 SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

4. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

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.

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. Appropriate 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. This justification must demonstrate that the leased instrument is considered state-of-the-art at the time of submission appropriate 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 will automatically eliminate an applicant from eligibility for an award.

Pre-award costs are allowable. All grantees may, at their 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 and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) 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 Applying Electronically.

Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD(s)/PI(s) Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Research Plan component is not required in this FOA. However, an Instrumentation Plan must be uploaded in Section 12, Other Attachments. Below are special instructions for this FOA describing the information that must be included in the required components of the SF424. 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 in the title (for example, 600MHz NMR Spectrometer.

12. Proposed Project. Enter start date of 04/01/2013 and end date of 03/31/2014.

15. Estimated Project Funding. Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument in line 15.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 15.c, enter the total cost of the instrument from the quote. If lines 15.a and 15.c are not the same, enter the difference in line b and explain how the difference will be paid in section 11 Equipment on the R&R Other Project Information component (see below). Enter zero for line 15.d as Program Income does not apply to the SIG Program.

** A warning will be generated during submission for any S10 with a budget in excess of $500,000. This warning can be ignored.

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 disassociated 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: 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 is required. The quote must be scanned and combined in a single attachment with the equipment description as part of the line 11 upload. Applications without itemized quote(s) will not be reviewed. 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 (line 12).

12. Other Attachments

Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan section):

Introduction: In the case of a resubmission (Cover Page Item 8), 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 limit 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. Provide an inventory of 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 for 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; define available usage time.

B) Research Projects

Major users are Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) of active NIH grants that require the use of the instrument and are identified by one of these activity codes: P01, R01, U01, R35, R37, DPI or DP2. 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 major users should need these options.

If there is a large number of major users, select a representative group (8-10) and describe their research projects. The research project descriptions should be informative and succinct. Although there is a page maximum of 6 pages per major user, three pages or fewer per major user is recommended.

Minor users are additional users with other types of active NIH research grants (such as but not limited to R03, R21, R55, P30, P41, P50). NIH training grants and contracts are not eligible. For minor users, only include a very brief summary of the research related to the need for the requested instrument.

C) Summary Table(s) (Page Limit: 6 Pages in total)

Use a table to list the names of the users from section B (last, first), the complete NIH grant numbers (e.g. 5R01HL123451-01A1), brief titles of the projects and the estimated percentage of use. Make a separate table to indicate the users needs for any 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)

An appropriate level of institutional support to ensure associated infrastructure sustainment is required. 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 financial plan. Those letters must be named Letters of Support and uploaded as a separate file in the Other Attachments (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 in the Other Attachments (line 12). Although there is no overall page limit, applicants are reminded to be informative yet succinct.

Senior/Key Person Profile(s) Component

Include profiles for the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s), 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 Just-in-Time does not apply to the S10 mechanism this FOA requires current and pending support for the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s), 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 1.8. Other Support).

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

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.

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.

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Revisions

Not Applicable.

Additional Review Considerations

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/priority score.

Budget and Period of Support

The appropriateness of the proposed budget in relation to the requested instrument will be assessed by the reviewers.

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. Review assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Research Resources Council (NARRC). The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD(s)/PI(s) will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

Just-in-time (JIT) does not apply in S10 mechanism.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. 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.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.

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. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

Not Applicable.

3. Reporting

Ninety days after the expiration of the grant, 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. This report is needed by the NIH for informing the public, administrative and Congressional officials about the research resources it supports.

The following information must be included in the SIG Final Progress Report:

Information about the award and the instrument:

Grant Number: 1S10RR#####-01

Principal Investigator: (Name, Institution, Department, Address)

Funding Period

Name of Instrument (including manufacturer and model)

Total Purchase Cost

Total SIG award amount

Other Sources of Funding (if appropriate)

2) Describe the SIG instrument purchased, its usage and its impact on the research community, specifically the NIH funded users. Use a summary table to list the names of the current major users (last, first), the complete NIH grant numbers (e.g. 5R01HL123456-01A1), brief titles of the projects and the percentage of use.

3) Describe the administration, operation, and plans for the maintenance of the instrument.

4) Describe (in language understandable to the lay public) any research accomplishments resulting from the use of the instrumentation. Explain the developments in terms of their contributions to new knowledge and potential for the improvement of human health. Provide a list of to publications, if available.

5) Include any other additional information which you would consider useful to the NIH.

The SIG Final Progress Report must be submitted electronically through the Closeout feature in eRA Commons.

Federal Financial Report

A Federal Financial Report must be submitted for S10 awards. Information about the Federal Financial Report is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2010/nihgps_ch8.htm#_Toc271264983.

Final Invention Statement

A Final Invention Statement is not required for SIG awards.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Application Submission Contacts

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading or navigating forms)
Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone 301-710-0267
TTY 301-451-5936
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov

eRA Commons Help Desk(Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: commons@od.nih.gov

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Abraham Levy, PhD
Acting Program Director
Shared Instrumentation Program
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), NIH
Telephone: 301-435-0772
Email: SIG@mail.nih.gov

Christina H Liu, PhD PE
Program Officer
Shared Instrumentation Program
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), NIH
Telephone: 301-435-0772
Email: SIG@mail.nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Ms. Gloria Berrios
Grants Management Specialist
National Center for Research Resources, NIH
6701 Democracy Blvd, STE 1035
Bethesda, MD 20817
Phone: 301-435-0875
Fax: 301-480-3777
berriosgl@mail.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.

Authority and Regulations

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.


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