April 21, 2023
- January 7, 2022 - Limited Competition: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-22-081.
Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Purpose
The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants of the following budget and usage changes to PAR-22-081- Limited Competition: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), beginning with the June 1, 2023, application due date.
The following Sections of PAR-22-081- Limited Competition: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) have been modified.
Currently Reads:
- Funding Opportunity Purpose
The Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase a single high-priced, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system.
The BIG Program is limited to institutions that have not received S10 instrumentation funding of $250,001 or greater in any of the preceding 3 Federal fiscal years (FY). Use the following to determine applicable funding periods:
- for application due date of June 1, 2022, consider S10 funding in FYs 2019-2021;
- for application due date of June 1, 2023, consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022;
- for application due date of June 3, 2024, consider S10 funding in FYs 2021-2023.
The minimum award is $25,000. There is no maximum price limit for the instrument; however, the maximum award is $250,000. Instruments supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, or computer systems.
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), ORIP continues the Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program. The Program targets institutions that have not received a substantial S10 shared instrumentation award funding of a total of $250,001 or greater in any of the last 3 Federal FYs see Section III.3. Additional Information on Eligibility for eligibility requirements. Use the following to determine applicable funding periods.
Section II. Award Information
Award Budget
Applications will be accepted that request a single, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. The minimum award is $25,000. There is no upper limit on the cost of the instrument, but the maximum award is $250,000. Since the cost of various instruments will vary, it is anticipated that the amount of the award will also vary. S10 awards do not allow indirect costs.
It is expected that applicants will employ the most economical approaches, including securing academic discounts, to formulate a cost-effective budget while meeting users' scientific needs. See Section IV. 6. Funding Restrictions for additional details.
Section III. Eligibility Information
3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Number of Applications
The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:
- A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
- A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
- An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).
Only one BIG application per institution as identified by the UEI number, is allowed per due date.
Any institution that received a total of $250,001 or more of S10 grant funding in any of the preceding 3 Federal FYs is not eligible to apply to this FOA. Use the following to determine applicable funding periods:
- for application due date of June 1, 2022, consider S10 funding in FYs 2019-2021;
- for application due date of June 1, 2023, consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022;
- for application due date of June 3, 2024, consider S10 funding in FYs 2021-2023.
Major User Group
A Major User is a researcher who has a substantial need for the instrument.
A group of three Major Users each with any active NIH research award (grant or cooperative agreement, including, but not limited to, the following mechanisms: R03, R15, R21, SC1, SC2, or SC3) must be identified. NIH training or fellowship grants (i.e., T and F mechanisms), other non-research and SBIR/STTR grants, Other Transaction (OT) awards, and contracts cannot be counted towards the fulfillment of this requirement. An award given to multi-PDs/PIs is counted only once towards the fulfillment of this requirement. Once this requirement has been met, other Major or Minor Users with research funding from NIH or other sources such as other Federal agencies, private foundations, or academic and research institutions may be added. Major Users can be researchers from the same department or from several departments, divisions, or schools at the applicant institution, or from nearby or regional institutions.
To demonstrate the clear need for the requested instrument, the projects of Major Users supported by any NIH research awards should collectively use the instrument at the 25% level of the AUT or higher. Moreover, the total collective usage for all identified users should be at the 75% level of AUT instrument usage or higher; see Section IV.2 Other Project Information for the definition of AUT.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
SF424(R&R) Cover
Estimated Project Funding:
Total Federal Funds Requested: Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument. This entry cannot exceed $250,000 which is the maximum award under the BIG Program. If the cost of the instrument is more than $250,000 enter $250,000 (or any lower amount of the requested Federal Funds).
Total Non-Federal Funds: If Total Federal Funds Requested (described immediately above) and Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds (described immediately below) are not the same, enter the difference in this line. Explain how the difference will be paid in the Equipment section on the SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information form (described below).
Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds: Enter the total cost of the instrument from the quote.
Program Income: Enter zero as this does not apply to the BIG Program.
SF424(R&R) Other Project Information
Other Attachments:
I) Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan form)
- Summary Tables: At the beginning of this section, please re-state the Accessible Usage Time (AUT) in annual hours, as introduced in the Justification of Need Section.
Next, insert the two summary tables - a) Research Projects of Major Users and b) Research Projects of Other Users. The tables should have the following columns: User's name, grant number (for NIH awards list the grant numbers such as R01IC123456), brief title of the project, grant start and end dates, and estimated usage in annual hours. If there are multiple Users funded by the same grant, list a total of their estimated usage in annual hours for projects supported by that grant. If applicable, include in this section a separate table to indicate the users' needs for any requested accessory. Do not list users whose annual usage is at the level of 1% or less of AUT.- Following the tables, state
i. a total estimated usage time by Users projects in annual hours,
ii. the percentage of the AUT devoted to all Users projects ,
iii. the percentage of the estimated usage time devoted to Major Users NIH-funded projects, and
iv. the percentage of the estimated usage time devoted to all users with external research funding.
Major Users with NIH research funding should use the instrument at the level of at least 25% of the AUT; cumulatively listed users should use the instrument at the level of 75% of the AUT.
II) Letters of Support
All letters of support should be combined in a single file named "Letters of Support" and uploaded as a separate attachment via Other Attachments. This combined file should include, as applicable:
- Letters from institutional officials.
- Institutional commitment for the proposed financial plan for maintenance and operations.
- Letters about inventory of instruments at the institution which are unavailable to the PD/PI (as noted in the Justification of Need Section), as applicable.
- The institution must provide a letter attesting that the institution (i.e., the entity with the same UEI as the applicant institution) did not receive a total of $250,001 or more in S10 awards in last 3 Federal fiscal years (for application due date of June 1, 2022: consider S10 funding in FYs 2019-2021; for application due date of June 1, 2023: consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022; for application due date of June 3, 2024: consider S10 funding FYs 2021-2023). If there have been no awards, please state so. The table should have the following columns:
Modified to Read (changes shown in bold italics):
Funding Opportunity Purpose
The Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase a single high-priced, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system.
The BIG Program is limited to institutions that have not received S10 instrumentation funding of a total of $500,001 or greater in the preceding 3 Federal fiscal years (FY). Use the following to determine applicable funding periods:
- for application due date of June 1, 2022, consider S10 funding in FYs 2019-2021;
- for application due date of June 1, 2023, consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022;
- for application due date of June 3, 2024, consider S10 funding in FYs 2021-2023.
The minimum award is $25,000. There is no maximum price limit for the instrument; however, the maximum award is $350,000. Instruments supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, or computer systems.
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), ORIP continues the Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program. The Program targets institutions that have not received a substantial S10 shared instrumentation award funding of a total of a total of $500,001 or greater in combination of the last 3 Federal FYs see Section III.3. Additional Information on Eligibility for eligibility requirements. Use the following to determine applicable funding periods:
Section II. Award Information
Award Budget
Applications will be accepted that request a single, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. The minimum award is $25,000. There is no upper limit on the cost of the instrument, but the maximum award is $350,000. Since the cost of various instruments will vary, it is anticipated that the amount of the award will also vary. S10 awards do not allow indirect costs.
Section III. Eligibility Information
3. Additional Information on Eligibility
Number of Applications
The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:
- A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
- A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
- An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).
Only one BIG application per institution as identified by the UEI number, is allowed per due date.
Any institution that received a total of $500,001 or more of S10 grant funding in any combination of the preceding 3 Federal FYs may not apply to this FOA. Use the following to determine applicable funding periods:
- for application due date of June 1, 2022, consider S10 funding in FYs 2019-2021;
- for application due date of June 1, 2023, consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022;
- for application due date of June 3, 2024, consider S10 funding in FYs 2021-2023.
Major User Group
A Major User is a researcher who has a substantial need for the instrument.
A group of three Major Users each with any active NIH research award (grant or cooperative agreement, including, but not limited to, the following mechanisms: R03, R15, R21, SC1, SC2, or SC3) must be identified. NIH training or fellowship grants (i.e., T and F mechanisms), other non-research and SBIR/STTR grants, Other Transaction (OT) awards, and contracts cannot be counted towards the fulfillment of this requirement. An award given to multi-PDs/PIs is counted only once towards the fulfillment of this requirement. Once this requirement has been met, other Major or Minor Users with research funding from NIH or other sources such as other Federal agencies, private foundations, or academic and research institutions may be added. Major Users can be researchers from the same department or from several departments, divisions, or schools at the applicant institution, or from nearby or regional institutions.
To demonstrate the clear need for the requested instrument, the projects of Major Users supported by any NIH research awards should collectively use the instrument at the 25% level of the AUT or higher. Moreover, the total collective usage for all identified users should be at the 55% level of AUT instrument usage or higher; see Section IV.2 Other Project Information for the definition of AUT.
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
SF424(R&R) Cover
Estimated Project Funding:
Total Federal Funds Requested: Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument. This entry cannot exceed $350,000 which is the maximum award under the BIG Program. If the cost of the instrument is more than $350,000 enter $350,000 (or any lower amount of the requested Federal Funds).
Total Non-Federal Funds: If Total Federal Funds Requested (described immediately above) and Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds (described immediately below) are not the same, enter the difference in this line. Explain how the difference will be paid in the Equipment section on the SF424 (R&R) Other Project Information form (described below).
Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds: Enter the total cost of the instrument from the quote.
Program Income: Enter zero as this does not apply to the BIG Program.
SF424(R&R) Other Project Information
Other Attachments:
I) Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan form)
- Summary Tables: At the beginning of this section, please re-state the Accessible Usage Time (AUT) in annual hours, as introduced in the Justification of Need Section.
Next, insert the two summary tables - a) Research Projects of Major Users and b) Research Projects of Other Users. The tables should have the following columns: User's name, grant number (for NIH awards list the grant numbers such as R01IC123456), brief title of the project, grant start and end dates, and estimated usage in annual hours. If there are multiple Users funded by the same grant, list a total of their estimated usage in annual hours for projects supported by that grant. If applicable, include in this section a separate table to indicate the users' needs for any requested accessory. Do not list users whose annual usage is at the level of 1% or less of AUT.- Following the tables, state
i. a total estimated usage time by Users projects in annual hours,
ii. the percentage of the AUT devoted to all Users projects ,
iii. the percentage of the estimated usage time devoted to Major Users NIH-funded projects, and
iv. the percentage of the estimated usage time devoted to all users with external research funding.
Major Users with NIH research funding should use the instrument at the level of at least 25% of the AUT; cumulatively listed users should use the instrument at the level of 55% of the AUT.
II) Letters of Support
All letters of support should be combined in a single file named "Letters of Support" and uploaded as a separate attachment via Other Attachments. This combined file should include, as applicable:
- Letters from institutional officials.
- Institutional commitment for the proposed financial plan for maintenance and operations.
- Letters about inventory of instruments at the institution which are unavailable to the PD/PI (as noted in the Justification of Need Section), as applicable.
- The institution must provide a letter attesting that the institution (i.e., the entity with the same UEI as the applicant institution) did not receive a total of $500,001 or more in S10 awards in last 3 Federal fiscal years (for application due date of June 1, 2023: consider S10 funding in FYs 2020-2022; for application due date of June 3, 2024: consider S10 funding FYs 2021-2023). If there have been no awards, please state so. The table should have the following columns:
Xiang-Ning Li, M.D., Ph.D.
Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
National Institute of Health
Telephone: 301-435-1744
Email: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
