BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SUPPORT SHARED INSTRUMENTATION GRANT 

NIH GUIDE, Volume 21, Number 3, Part II of II, January 24, 1992

 

PA:  PA-92-37

 

P.T. 34



Keywords:

  INSTRUMENTS/INSTRUMENTATION/DEVICE 

  RESEARCH RESOURCES 

 

National Center for Research Resources

 

Application Receipt Date:  March 26, 1992

 

BACKGROUND

 

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) is continuing its

competitive Biomedical Research Support (BRS) Shared Instrumentation

Grant (SIG) Program initiated in Fiscal Year 1982.  The program was

established in recognition of the long-standing need in the

biomedical research community to cope with rapid technological

advances in instrumentation and the rapid rate of obsolescence of

existing equipment.  The objective of the program is to make

available to institutions with a high concentration of Public Health

Service (PHS)-supported biomedical investigators research instruments

that can only be justified on a shared-use basis and for which

meritorious research projects are described.

 

An eligible institution may submit more than one application for

different instrumentation for the March 26, 1992, deadline.  However,

if multiple applications are submitted for similar instrumentation

from one or more eligible components of an institution, then

documentation from a high administrative official must be provided,

stating that the multiple applications are a coordinated

institutional resource plan, not an unintended duplication.

 

RESEARCH GOALS AND SCOPE

 

This program is designed to meet the special problems of acquisition

and updating of expensive shared-use instruments that are not

generally available through other PHS mechanisms, such as the

individual research project, program project and center grant

programs, the Biomedical Research Technology Grant Program, or the

BRS Grant Program.  Applications for the development of new

instrumentation will not be considered.

 

ELIGIBILITY

 

The BRS Shared Instrumentation Grant Program is a subprogram of the

BRS Grant Program of the NCRR.  Awards are made under the authority

of the BRS program and are made to institutions only, not to

individuals.  Therefore, eligibility is limited to institutions that

received a BRS grant award in FY 1991.  Awards are contingent on the

availability of funds.

 

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

 

BRS Shared Instrumentation Grants (S10) provide support for expensive

state-of-the-art instruments utilized in both basic and clinical

research.  Applications are limited to instruments that cost at least

$100,000 per instrument or system.  The maximum award is $400,000.

Types of instrumentation supported include, but are not limited to,

nuclear magnetic resonance systems, electron microscopes, mass

spectrometers, protein sequencer/amino acid analyzers, and cell

sorters.  Support will not be provided for general purpose equipment

or purely instructional equipment.  Applications for "stand alone"

computer systems will only be considered if the instrument is solely

dedicated to the research needs of a broad community of PHS-supported

investigators.

 

Awards will be made for the direct costs of the acquisition of new,

or the updating of existing, research instruments.  The institution

must meet those costs (not covered in the purchase price) required to

place the instrumentation in operational order as well as the

maintenance, support personnel, and service costs associated with

maximum utilization of the instrument.  There is no upper limit on

the cost of the instrument, but the maximum award is $400,000.

Grants will be awarded for a period of one year and are not

renewable.  Supplemental applications will not be accepted.  The

program does not provide indirect costs or support for construction

or alterations and renovations.  Cost sharing is not required.  If

the amount of funds requested does not cover the total cost of the

instrument, the application must describe the proposed sources(s) of

funding for the balance of the cost of the instrument.  Documentation

of the availability of the remainder of the funding, signed by an

appropriate institutional official, must be presented to NCRR prior

to the issuance of an award.  Requests for a multiple instruments

purchase totalling over $400,000 must specify and justify which

instrument(s) should be supported within the $400,000 ceiling.

 

Applicants proposing the direct purchase of an instrument that the

institution has secured or is planning to secure via a leasing

agreement are strongly encouraged to consult with the institutional

sponsored projects office regarding applicable PHS 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.

 

A major user group of three or more investigators must be identified.

A minimum of three major users must have PHS peer-reviewed research

support at the time of the award; 50 percent of these grants must

have been awarded by the NIH.  The application must show a clear need

for the instrumentation by projects supported by multiple PHS

research awards and demonstrate that these projects will require at

least 75 percent of the total usage of the instrument.  Major users

can be individual researchers, or a group of investigators within the

same department or from several departments at the applicant

institution.  PHS extramural awardees from other institutions may

also be included.

 

If the major user group does not require total usage of the

instrument, access to the instrument may be made available to other

users upon the advice of the internal advisory committee.  These

users need not be PHS awardees, but priority must be given to

PHS-supported scientists engaged in biomedical/behavioral research.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

 

Each applicant institution must propose a Principal Investigator who

will assume administrative/scientific oversight responsibility for

the instrumentation requested.  An internal advisory committee to

assist in this responsibility must also be utilized.  The Principal

Investigator and the advisory group are responsible for the

development of guidelines for shared use of the instrument, for

preparation of all reports required by the NIH, for relocation of the

instrument within the grantee institution if the major user group is

significantly altered, and for continued support for the maximum

utilization and maintenance of the instrument in the post-award

period.

 

A plan must be proposed for the day-to-day management of the

instrument including designation of a qualified individual to

supervise the operation of the instrument and to provide technical

expertise to the users.  Specific plans for sharing arrangements and

for monitoring the use of the instrument must be described.

 

If a grant award is made, a final progress report will be required

that describes the use of the instrument, a list of all users, and

the value of the instrumentation to the research of the major users

and to the institution as a whole.  This report is due within 90 days

following the end of the project period.

 

REVIEW PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA

 

Applications are reviewed by specially convened initial review groups

of the Division of Research Grants (DRG) for scientific and technical

merit and for program considerations by the National Advisory

Research Resources Council (NARRC) of the NCRR.  Approximately half

of the applications will be reviewed at the September 1992 NARRC

meeting and the remainder at the NARRC meeting in February 1993.

Funding decisions on all applications received for the March 26,

1992, deadline will not be made until the program receives an

appropriation for FY 1993.  The Council date will not affect funding

decisions.  The earliest award date will be February 1993.

 

Criteria for review of applications include:

 

o  The extent to which an award for the specific instrument would

meet the scientific needs and enhance the planned research endeavors

of the major users by providing an instrument that is unavailable or

to which availability is highly limited.

 

o  The availability and commitment of the appropriate technical

expertise within the major user group or the institution for use of

the instrumentation.

 

o  The adequacy of the organizational plan and the internal advisory

committee for administration of the grant including sharing

arrangements for use of the instrument.

 

o  The institutional commitment for continued support of the

utilization and maintenance of the instrument.

 

o  The benefit of the proposed instrument to the overall research

community it will serve.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

 

Copies of a more detailed announcement are being mailed to Program

Directors of BRS grants and to sponsored program offices at all

institutions currently receiving BRS grants.  Interested

investigators must obtain the complete announcement prior to

preparing an application.

 

Applications must be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398

(rev. 10/88, reprinted 9/89).  Application kits are available at most

institutional business offices and from the Office of Grants

Inquiries, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of

Health, Westwood Building, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone

(301) 496-7441.  The title and number of the announcement must be

typed in Section 2 on the face page of the application.

 

Applications must be received by March 26, 1992.  Applications

received after this date will not be accepted for review in this

competition and will be returned to the applicant.  The original and

four copies must be sent

to:

 

Application Receipt Office

Division of Research Grants

National Institutes of Health

Westwood Building, Room 240

Bethesda, MD  20892**

 

If appendix material is submitted, five collated sets must be

included with the application package.  Identify each of the five

sets with the name of the Principal Investigator and the project

title.  This material will not be routinely duplicated and will be

used in a limited way by members of the initial review group.

 

Two copies of the application and one copy of any appendix material

must also be addressed to:

 

Biomedical Research Support Program

National Center for Research Resources

National Institutes of Health

Westwood Building, Room 10A11

5333 Westbard Avenue

Bethesda, MD  20892

 

INQUIRIES

 

Written and telephone inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to

clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome.

 

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

 

Marjorie A. Tingle, Ph.D.

Director, Biomedical Research Support Program

National Center for Research Resources

Westwood Building, Room 10A11

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone: (301) 496-6743

 

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

 

Ms. Mary V. Niemiec

Office of Grants and Contracts Management

National Center for Research Resources

Westwood Building, Room 849

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-9840

 

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

 

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number 93.337, Biomedical Research Support.  Awards will

be made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title

III, Part A, (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42

USC 241) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal

Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program is not

subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive

Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

 

.

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