Seed Instrumentation Support (SIS) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Companion Funding Opportunity

PAR-27-022 , S10 Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants

Through the Seed Instrumentation Support (SIS) Program, NIH supports the purchase of a single commercialized research instrument that is currently unavailable to the applicant institutions. Like a seed, the instruments are expected to help promote new research opportunities, expand existing research capabilities, foster collaboration and training, and support the growth of future research activities.

Modern research instruments are essential for generating high quality and reproducible data that drive innovations in biomedical and biobehavioral research in all institutions, including low-resource ones. Instruments funded through this program will be shared among users to promote cost-effective research for reproducible biomedical data generation. Hence, the instrument is expected to be placed in a safe and accessible shared resource to maximize collaboration. This NOFO encourages different outcomes based on institutional type: (i) For research-intensive institutions, emphasis is placed on acquiring new or emerging technologies that enable innovative and novel research; and (ii) For low-resource institutions (e.g., R15-eligible institutions that have not received more than $6 million per year in NIH funding in 4 of the last 7 federal fiscal years), the focus is on building foundational research capacity, expanding the biomedical research workforce, and supporting sustainable, long-term research programs. Institutions applying under this category will clearly justify their low-resource status in the application.

Eligible instruments include, but are not limited to, mass spectrometers, cell sorters, bioimagers, DNA and protein sequencers, light microscopes, 3D printers, and high-performance computers. Applications for general purpose computer systems (computer clusters and data storage systems) will only be considered if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research.

Foreign-made instruments are allowed. However, the reasons for choosing foreign-made instruments over domestically manufactured instruments will be justified. NIH urges that every effort should be made to give preference to domestically manufactured instruments to the maximum extent possible. Additionally, requesting funds towards purchasing an instrument under a lease agreement is strongly discouraged.

Program Specifications

Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI): Each applicant institution will propose a PD/PI who can assume administrative and scientific oversight responsibility for the requested instrument. The PD/PI will also be responsible for:

• Preparing (and working with the institution to submit) a Final Research Performance Progress Report (Final RPPR) at the end of the project budget period. See Section VI.4 for the content of a Final RPPR.
• Preparing and submitting Annual Usage Reports (AURs) of the instrument to the NIH for a period of four years after the project end date, see Section VI.4.
• Requesting no-cost extensions of the project period, if needed.

Advisory Committee: An Advisory Committee will be named to assist the PD/PI in administering the grant, overseeing the usage of the instrument, and advising on expanding the user base. The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee should convene regular meetings and issue annual reports on the instrument status, including their recommendations for the instrument operations and plans for a growing user base. For details on the composition of the Advisory Committee, see Section IV.2 under "Administration." The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee are responsible for the development of guidelines for:

• A plan for the management and safe operation of the instrument.
• A plan to ensure that access to the instrument is limited to users whose projects have received approval from the Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or a Biosafety Committee, as applicable.
• A financial plan for the long-term operation and maintenance of the instrument.
• Recommending a new PD/PI, if such a need arises.
• A relocation of the instrument within or outside the institution or change(s) of ownership, if such changes are necessary.