Key Dates

Related Announcements

• NOT-GM-24-059 - Notice to Extend the Response Date for NOT-GM-24-045 "Request for Information (RFI): Expanding the Technology Focus of the National and Regional Resources (NRRs) and Biomedical Technology Optimization and Dissemination (BTOD) Programs"

Issued by

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Purpose

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) invites public input on mission-aligned technologies that would be valuable if included in the NIGMS National and Regional Resources (NRR) or the Biomedical Technology Optimization and Dissemination (BTOD) Center programs. 

Background

NIGMS supports resources that provide biomedical researchers with access to mature technologies and centers that optimize and disseminate late-stage technologies for use by the research community. The NIGMS NRR (PAR-22-065) program provides access to state-of-the-art equipment, research tools, materials, organisms, software, and/or services to substantial regional (multi-state) or national user bases. Current resources feature four categories of NIGMS mission-related mature technologies: structural biology, biological specimens, bioanalytical tools, and computation & modeling. Additionally, NIGMS supports technology optimization and dissemination through its BTOD Center Program (PAR-23-110). Current Centers feature advanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for macromolecular dynamics and structure, novel probes for mechanistic studies, native mass spectrometry for structural biology, genetic code expansion technologies to enhance biomedical research capabilities, mechano-biology probes, and innovative methods for analyzing cell signaling pathways. The mature technologies provided by NRRs are ready for immediate use by researchers without need for further development. By contrast, late-stage technologies supported by BTOD Centers require optimization prior to dissemination to the biomedical research community. 

Information Requested

NIGMS seeks input from the extramural community (including current and potential resource users, technology developers, investigators from IDeA state institutions, principal investigators of currently funded NRRs and BTOD Centers) to identify additional technologies that, if supported by the NRR and BTOD Center programs, would be of value to the scientific community. Input sought includes, but is not limited to the following topics:

• Past and current usage of the currently funded NRRs
• Interactions with and knowledge of currently funded BTOD Centers
• Mature technologies and resources that the biomedical research community would find useful if made accessible through the NRR program
• Late-stage technologies that would be useful to the biomedical research community once optimized and disseminated through the BTOD Center program

Technologies supported by the NRRs and BTOD Center programs are limited to those that fall within NIGMS' scientific mission areas.

How to Submit a Response

Responses to the RFI will be accepted through October 15, 2024. All comments will be anonymous and must be submitted electronically via a web form at: https://www.research.net/r/NRRs_and_Biomedical_Technology_Optimization_and_Dissemination.

Responses to this RFI are voluntary. The Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. The Government reserves the right to use any submitted information internally, on public websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements. This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for use of that information.

The information submitted will be analyzed and may be shared internally, appear in reports or be reflected in future solicitations, as appropriate and at the Government's discretion. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s) or other activities. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government's use of such information. 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Han Nguyen, Ph.D. and C. Ashley Barnes, Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Email: [email protected]