Biomedical Research Facilities (C06 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding Agency:
- National Institutes of Health
NIH recognizes the importance of all institutions of higher learning and research organizations in contributing to the nation’s research capacity. NIH intends to award 25% of the available funds to support projects from IEEs. These institutions play a special role in advancing biomedical research as they leverage their research abilities to address a problem, concern, or unmet health need. Often these institutions are located in a geographic area whose population includes a significant number of individuals with health status deficit, and the applicant provides health services to such individuals; or is located in a geographic area in which a deficit in health care technology, services, or research resources may adversely affect the health status of the population of the area in the future, and the applicant is carrying out activities with respect to protecting the health status of such population. As a part of their mission, IEEs must have plans and the ability to carry out the plans to conduct biomedical research or provide training to enhance the health of individuals from such population. These institutions often serve as centers for dissemination of health information, training development, and advancement of research. At times, low levels of research funding from NIH, other federal agencies, private foundations, and other sources, as well as a deficit in health care technology, services, or research resources such as a physical research infrastructure, may curtail the full potential of these efforts.
Many IEEs are located in designated geographic locations; however, geographical location, alone, is not sufficient to define an IEE. An institution in an Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible state may qualify as an IEE if the institution has deficient or inadequate physical infrastructure that deters it from achieving well-defined and well-focused research-related goals. These goals build on local capacity for research that encompasses various factors such as in-house scientific expertise, unique local resources, or special local populations and their health-related needs. Many institutions in non-IDeA-eligible states also meet these criteria and are equally qualified to apply as IEEs.
As IEEs often have low levels of federal and private funding for biomedical research, faculty at these institutions usually contribute a significant amount of their time to teaching either undergraduate or graduate curriculum courses, or both. Note, however, projects that would serve purely didactic activities are not permitted under this FOA.
IEE applicants should be striving to establish a particular research or research training capacity or research or research training focus that serves the needs described above. Improvements in physical infrastructure are one element that can help meet these needs. An applicant should explain in what domain of biomedical research the institution is seeking to achieve excellence and how this proposed project will advance the effort. Ultimately, to be considered as an IEE for the purpose of this FOA, an applicant institution must identify itself as an IEE and justify its status – see the Project Narrative section for more information.
It is expected that all projects - both from research-intensive institutions and IEEs - will have long-term effects and will benefit the broad biomedical research community at the applicant institution by providing a modern research environment, accessible on a shared basis. It is also expected that projects awarded under this FOA will have a transformative impact on research at the recipient institution.
Applications based entirely on regular maintenance, replacement of aging or failing equipment, and other routine work are not appropriate for this FOA, and such applications will not be supported. Applications for upgrades of a space serving a single investigator are also inappropriate as are applications to support facilities for billable medical care, office space, or classrooms.
To appropriately conceive, develop, construct, and successfully complete the construction/modernization project, a PD/PI should possess knowledge of the relevant scientific field(s) to be served by the proposed facility, demonstrate leadership skills, and assemble a team with technical expertise related to all aspects of the project. The PD/PI does not need to be an NIH-funded investigator, but should have the appropriate standing in the institutional administration and the research community to lead and oversee the project.
The project should be consistent with the following criteria and documentation requirements:
- The project is essential for biomedical research activities supported and the space involved will be used for these activities.
- The facility must be utilized for biomedical research purposes for which it was constructed or improved for at least 20 years beginning on the date of beneficial occupancy of the space.
- If the project is located in an existing building, the building must have a useful life consistent with program purposes, including the time to construct and complete the project plus 20 years of use following the occupancy of the research space; the building must be architecturally and structurally suitable for conversion to the type of research space required.
- If the space is rented, evidence must be provided that the terms of the lease and expected subsequent 20-year use of the facility are consistent with the proposed project. Specifically, a signed document from the building owner must be provided showing that the terms of the lease agreement and subsequent use of the facility will comply with the 20-year term of the Notice of Federal Interest (NFI) requirement following the occupancy of the facility. A statement of agreement by the owner of the space must be included. These documents will be verified if/when the application is considered for funding.
- If the project will affect a site listed (or eligible for inclusion) in the National Register of Historic Places, the requirements specified in "Preservation of Cultural and Historic Resources" must be followed.
Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. The maximum award budget from Federal funds is $8,000,000. Applications with a budget less than $3,000,000 will not be considered. Since the scope of different projects will vary it is anticipated that the size of the awards will vary.
February 24, 2023
Xiang-Ning Li, MD, PhD, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), Telephone: 301-435-1744, Email: oripconstruction@od.nih.gov