NIH R24 Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

NIH R24 Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). This funding opportunity invites eligible academic or research institutions to apply for funding to purchase scientific equipment that will enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of existing shared biomedical research facilities.

NIH Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-24-259) - Research Support Notice: this is an archived listing << Back to Limited Submissions NIH Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-24-259) Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Type: Equipment & Materials or Facility Use and Construction Opportunity ID: PAR-24-259 Submission Limit per Institution: 2 Sponsor/Solicitation URL: Visit Sponsor Website Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.

edu . Notice: This opportunity is currently open and will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. If interested, please complete the application using your institutional credentials.

The objective of this NOFO is to support the acquisition of latest, technologically advanced equipment needed to advance the operational efficacy, productivity, and throughput; improve energy efficiency, enhance, or streamline operating processes and procedures in core laboratories, animal research facilities, or other shared-use research support space.

Providing access to such equipment can also expand the capacity of essential support services for evolving and emerging research programs. Maintaining current functions, replacing broken equipment, and routine upgrading are not supported by this NOFO.

This NOFO does not support the acquisition of scientific research instruments that acquire experimental data or any other instrument directly involved in experimental processes that lead to data collection. Some examples of such excluded instruments include, but are not limited to, spectrometers, microscopes, biomedical imagers, cell analyzers, sequencers, PCR machines, chromatography equipment, and metabolic cages.

Computer and data storage systems supporting scientific data collection, storage, and analysis are also not supported by this NOFO. These instruments may be requested through ORIP’s shared instrumentation programs. Animal research facilities are one of the targeted research areas of this NOFO.

Examples of supported equipment for animal facilities include, but are not limited to: Multi-functional ventilated cages and/or cage racks for small animals Specialized caging system for large animals Aquatic animal systems equipped with water quality assessment sensors Automated feeding or watering systems to aid in consistency and accuracy of animal care Robotics and automations for animal facility operation Advanced, environmental-friendly, high performing or high-throughput cage, rack, bottle, and tunnel washer systems Veterinary care devices and veterinary diagnostic systems Telemetry equipment to monitor cage conditions and/or animal well-being for purposes of animal husbandry (not experimental data collection) Environmental management devices that assist in the monitoring and customizing of environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, air flow, and lighting.

Core laboratories and specialized facilities are other spaces targeted by this NOFO. Without access to modern research facilities with well-controlled environments and furnished with specialized support equipment, many research functions are not feasible.

Examples of supported modern laboratory research equipment include, but are not limited to: Modern biobanking or cryopreservation equipment Freezers assisted by robotic arms or other forms of automation Autoclaves or other sterilizers Cryogenic gas recovery/recycling equipment (servicing two or more instruments) Environmental chambers, isolators, or other chambers designed to create specialized environments Liquid dispensers or other automated sample preparation equipment (single piece of equipment) Cryostats or other tissue sectioning equipment Single piece, integrated slide staining equipment (multiple pieces for single steps in the process are not allowed) Nucleic acid extraction equipment Peptide or oligonucleotide synthesizers Automated cell processing equipment Water purification/treatment equipment (in lab, not for an entire building) Other equipment that modernizes, streamlines, or improves the operating efficiency of the facility is also supported.

Computers or other electronics that are built into the equipment with specialized software may also be a part of the equipment request if and only if they are inseparable from the requested equipment.

Equipment supported by this NOFO differs in its functionality from scientific research instruments, but such equipment is critically needed to advance and accelerate the operations of research facilities and, as a result, contributes indirectly to the overall advancement of scientific research.

Any equipment acquired under this NOFO must benefit the larger biomedical research enterprise at the applicant institution and represent a technological step forward. The application narrative should demonstrate that the request for the equipment is driven by the demands of active areas of biomedical research at the institution.

The facility may serve investigators whose research is supported by NIH, other Federal agencies, private foundations, institutional funds, or other sources. Current NIH research funding is not a requirement for submission of an application.

Once installed, the requested equipment should enable new and advanced capabilities, offer innovative technological solutions, or enhance support operations, as well as benefit the user community and multiple research projects of many investigators. Maintaining current functions, replacing broken equipment, and routine upgrading are not supported by this NOFO.

Likewise, equipment that is normally considered to be a component of building infrastructure is not supported, e.g., HVAC systems, building-level water treatment systems, or back-up power supplies of any type.

Any application that proposes general outfitting, clusters of equipment, scientific instruments or their components, and/or other non-allowed expenses will be deemed unresponsive to this NOFO and subject to withdrawal from review or consideration for funding. The acquisition of a single piece of latest equipment necessary to support specialized research-supporting activities is the goal of this NOFO.

Moreover, only one facility can be supported; this NOFO does not support the upgrading of multiple facilities at a single institution. Only one type of equipment may be requested. Auxiliary items required for the physical operation of the major equipment piece are also permitted, e.g., a centrifuge with a rotor.

Such auxiliary items must be dedicated to the main equipment piece, required for the main equipment piece to function, and not be capable of stand-alone operation. Multiple items of the same type of equipment are also permitted, e.g., cages racks with cages, but any request must be justified by the research-related demands on the facility and the operational capacities therein.

Clusters of equipment serving a single or multiple support function(s) are not permitted, e.g., incubators, biosafety hoods, and centrifuges for cell culture. General outfitting of the support space, e.g., purchasing multiple pieces of different equipment is also not permitted under this NOFO.

Moreover, it is encouraged that all requested equipment adheres to the highest level of energy efficiency available to reduce environmental impacts. All applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Scientific/Research Contact(s) before submission of an application to discuss equipment requests and eligibility criteria.

In addition, there is an FAQ and (archived) webinar providing additional guidance that can be viewed at ORIP's Equipment web page .