Shared Instrument Grant (SIG) program is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). The SIG program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase or upgrade a single item of expensive, specialized, commercially available instruments or integrated systems. This can include DNA and protein sequencers and biosensors.

PAR-24-265: Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs ( ORIP ) National Eye Institute ( NEI ) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering ( NIBIB ) National Institute of General Medical Sciences ( NIGMS ) National Institute of Mental Health ( NIMH ) Funding Opportunity Title Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) S10 Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants March 31, 2025 - This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities.

Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. November 4, 2024 - Notice of Correction to the Eligible Organizations Section of ORIP's PAR-24-265: Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See Notice NOT-OD-25-019 .

April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 . August 31, 2022 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023.

See Notice NOT-OD-22-198 . August 5, 2022 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. See Notice NOT-OD-22-189 .

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Funding Opportunity Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants See Part 2, Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Assistance Listing Number(s) 93. 351, 93. 859, 93.

866, 93. 286, 93. 867, 93.

242 Funding Opportunity Purpose The Shared Instrument Grant (SIG) Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase or upgrade a single item of high-priced, specialized, commercially available instruments or integrated instrumentation system. The minimum award is $50,000. There is no maximum price limit for the instrument; however, the maximum award is $750,000.

Instruments supported include, but are not limited to: light microscopes, biomedical imagers, mass spectrometers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, flow cytometers, DNA and protein sequencers, biosensors, and X-ray diffractometers.

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced.

Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide , follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants. gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants. gov and eRA Commons to track your application.

Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application. Part 1.

Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description Section II.

Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V.

Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII.

Other Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description The objective of the Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program is to make available to institutions high-priced research instruments that can only be justified on a shared-use basis and that are needed for NIH-supported projects in basic, translational, or clinical biomedical and biobehavioral research.

The SIG Program provides funds to purchase or upgrade a single item of expensive, state-of-the-art, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. An integrated instrumentation system is one in which the components, when used in conjunction with one another, perform a function that no single component can provide. The components must be dedicated to the system and not used independently.

Types of supported instruments include, but are not limited to: X-ray diffractometers, mass spectrometers, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers, DNA and protein sequencers, biosensors, electron and light microscopes, flow cytometers, high throughput robotic screening systems, and biomedical imagers.

Applications for standalone computer systems (supercomputers, computer clusters and data storage systems) will only be considered if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research. All instruments, integrated systems, and computer systems must be dedicated to research only. Foreign-made instruments are allowed.

The SIG Program will not support requests for: An instrument with a base cost of less than $50,000; Multiple instruments bundled together; Purely instructional equipment; Instruments used for clinical (billable) care; Instruments or integrated systems that are not commercially available and do not have a manufacturer warranty; Institutional administrative management systems, clinical management systems; Software, unless it is integrated in the operation of the instrument and/or necessary for generation of high-quality experimental data from the instrument; Multiple stand-alone workstations for data processing, software licenses, and duplicate software items; General purpose equipment (such as standard machine shop equipment), equipment to furnish a research facility (such as autoclaves, hoods, equipment to upgrade animal facilities), equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure (such as standard computer networks or general-purpose data storage systems); Disposable devices, office furniture, and supplies; Alteration or renovation of space to house the instruments.

Applicants are advised to discuss with the SIG Scientific/Research Contact (See Section VII) for questions about appropriate types of instruments, eligibility, and Program requirements, prior to submitting an application for an integrated instrumentation system.

To promote cost effectiveness, to encourage optimal sharing among individual investigators, research groups and departments, and to foster a collaborative multidisciplinary environment, the instrument is expected to be integrated in a core facility or another shared resource, whenever possible.

Each applicant institution must propose a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) who can assume administrative and scientific oversight responsibility for the requested instrument. See Section III. 1 for qualifications for the PD/PI.

The PD/PI also will be responsible for: Requesting no-cost extensions of the project period, if needed. Preparing (and working with the institution to submit) a Final Research Performance Progress Report (Final RPPR) at the end of the project 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. An Advisory Committee must be named to assist the PD/PI in administering the grant and overseeing the usage of the instrument.

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: Maximum utilization of the instrument, including time allocation.

A detailed plan for the day-to-day 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 during the post-award period.

A relocation of the instrument within or outside the institution or change(s) of ownership, if such changes are necessary. Recommending a new PD/PI, if such a need arises. The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee should convene meetings and issue annual reports on the instrument status, including their recommendations for the instrument operations.

NIGMS Area of Interest: NIGMS is interested in co-funding S10 applications that include research projects aligned with the mission of NIGMS . NIGMS-supported research may utilize specific cells or organ systems if they serve as models for understanding general systemic principles. NIGMS also supports research in specific clinical areas that affect multiple organ systems.

In parallel, NIGMS is especially interested in promoting participation of Institutional Development Award ( IDeA ) states and programs in the S10 Program. The IDeA program will provide co-funding for scientifically meritorious applications from IDeA states and encourages sharing and collaboration among institutions, programs, and states.

NIMH Area of Interest: NIMH is interested in co-funding S10 applications that include research projects aligned with the mission of NIMH and which have at least one NIMH-funded investigator as a member of the Major User Group.

Applications Not Responsive To This NOFO An individual application requesting more than one type of instrument (for example, a mass spectrometer and a confocal microscope) is not responsive to this NOFO and will not be reviewed. See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the How to Apply - Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO. Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials. Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Applications will be accepted that request a single, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. The minimum award is $50,000.

There is no upper limit on the cost of the instrument, but the maximum award is $750,000. Since the cost of each instrument varies, it is anticipated that the amount of the award will also vary. S10 awards do not allow indirect costs.

Awards are made for one year only. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO. Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement , are not allowed. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 9. 2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually .

The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code. NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM. gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.

eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants. gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Grants. gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants. gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role.

Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks. Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator) Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply - Application Guide . This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1. 2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 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 NIH Grants Policy Statement 2. 3. 9.

4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ). There is no restriction on the number of applications an institution (as identified by a specific UEI number) can submit to the SIG and/or High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Programs each year, provided the applications request different types of instruments. However, only one application to the Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program is allowed per receipt date.

Concurrent SIG, HEI, or BIG applications for the same instrument (or the same type of instrument with added special accessories for example, to meet the HEI budget requirement) are not allowed unless documentation from a high-level institutional official is provided, stating that this is not an unintended duplication, but part of a campus-wide instrumentation plan.

Applicants are advised to discuss with the SIG Scientific/Research Contact (Section VII) potential duplicates before submitting two applications for the same type of instrument. A single application requesting more than one type of instrument (for example, a mass spectrometer and a confocal microscope) is not responsive to this NOFO and will not be reviewed.

At least three Major Users who have substantial need for the instrument must be identified. A Major User must be a PD/PI on a distinct active NIH research award (i.e., a grant or a cooperative agreement) in an area of basic, translational, or clinical research with substantial need of the instrument. The requirement is one award per investigator, with more awards per investigator allowed.

An award given to multi-PDs/PIs is counted only once towards the fulfillment of this requirement. 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.

Once the eligibility requirement of at least three Major Users with distinct NIH-funded research projects has been met, additional users with active research awards from NIH or other sources may be added as Other Users.

Investigators with funding from sources such as other Federal agencies, private foundations, or academic institutions, can be added as Major Users, provided they are engaged in basic, translational, or clinical research and can demonstrate a substantial need for the instrument.

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. In certain circumstances, as technology dictates, Major Users may come from distant institutions, but they must demonstrate the need for the instruments and describe plans for regular access to the instrument.

To demonstrate the clear need for the requested instrument, the projects supported by NIH research awards (i.e., grants or cooperative agreements) should together use the instrument at the 65 percent level of the Accessible Usage Time (AUT), or higher see Section Other Project Information for the definition of AUT. Major Users supported by NIH grants should collectively use the instrument at the 35 percent level of the AUT, or higher.

The Major User group must meet the eligibility requirement at the time of submission. In addition, if/when the application is considered for funding, the SIG Program Staff will check that the Major User group eligibility requirement is also met at the time of award.

An itemized quote from the vendor with appropriate academic discounts and warranty terms (specified directly in the quote) is required and must be included in the application. Section IV. Application and Submission Information 1.

Requesting an Application Package The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants. gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.

gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution. 2.

Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the How to Apply - Application Guide is required and strictly enforced.

Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review. All page limitations described in the How to Apply – Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed. For this NOFO, there is no overall page limit for the entire Instrumentation Plan.

However, there are specified page limits for each section of the Instrumentation Plan as described below. All tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts must be included within the page limits for these sections. The applicants should make every effort to be succinct.

It is expected that the length of the Instrumentation Plan’s narrative will depend on the type of the requested instrument and the number of users. To be successful, an application does not have to reach the page limits described here. Introduction to Resubmission (if applicable): 2 pages.

Justification of Need: 6 pages in total. Technical Expertise: 2 pages in total. Research Projects section must not exceed 20 pages in total.

This section can be structured in subsections Research Projects of Major Users and Research Projects of Other Users or subsections Specific Research Topics. The limit is 2 pages per each Major User’s project; however, fewer pages are recommended. The Research Projects of Other Users subsection is strongly recommended to be succinct, describing 3 or more projects per page.

Summary Table(s): 6 pages in total. Administration (Organizational / Management Plan): 6 pages in total. Institutional Commitment: 3 pages in total.

Overall Impact/Benefit: 3 pages in total. Note: Letters of Support and Bibliography & References Cited Section are not included in the page limitations. Instructions for Application Submission The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply – Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. Descriptive Title: Enter the generic name of the instrument requested in the title (for example, 600MHz NMR Spectrometer or High-Throughput DNA Sequencer).

Proposed Project: CY 2025 submission: enter start date 02/01/2026 and end date 01/31/2027; CY 2026 submission: enter start date 02/01/2027 and end date 01/31/2028; CY 2027 submission: enter start date 02/01/2028 and end date 01/31/2029. Estimated Project Funding: Total Federal Funds Requested: Enter the total Federal funds for the requested instrument. This entry cannot exceed $750,000 which is the maximum award under the SIG Program.

If the cost of the instrument is more than $750,000 enter $750,000 (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 SIG Program.

NOTE: A warning will be generated during submission for any S10 with a budget in excess of $500,000. This warning can be ignored. SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. Project Summary/Abstract: The Project Summary/Abstract should contain a succinct and accurate description of the requested instrument and an explanation of the need for the instrument to advance research projects of the Users and augment research capabilities at the applicant institution.

The application's broad, long-term objectives should be stated, concisely describing how access to the instrument will enhance the health-related goals of the research projects and stimulate biomedical research at the applicant institution. This section should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically or technically literate reader.

NOTE: The Project Summary/Abstract must be no longer than 30 lines of text. Project Narrative: Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance of this research to public health. In this section, be succinct and use plain language that can be understood by a general, lay audience.

Bibliography & References Cited: List only publications that demonstrate the researchers' expertise in operation and usage of the requested instrument or are relevant to research projects, which will be supported by the instrument. References of the Research Projects Section may appear in this section or may be listed at the end of individual research subsections. Facilities & Other Resources: Not Applicable.

Do not include an attachment here. Equipment: Describe the requested instrument by stating its manufacturer, model number, specific features, and accessories. Provide a detailed budget breakdown of the main instrument and requested accessories, including tax and import duties, if applicable.

An itemized quote from the vendor, with appropriate discounts and warranty terms, is required. The quote must be scanned and combined in a single attachment with the instrument description as part of this upload. As described above in the SF424 Cover form, include an explanation of Total Non-Federal Funds in this section (if applicable).

Applications without a quote will be deemed incomplete and returned to the applicant without review. If human, animal, or infectious materials, which could create a potential biohazard, are to be analyzed, funds for accessory containment equipment for the instrument may be requested in the budget.

Do not describe the need for the instrument or accessories in this section; such narrative should be a part of the Justification of Need section of the Instrumentation Plan. I) Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan form) The entire Instrumentation Plan (with the sections described below) must be saved as a single PDF file - named Instrumentation Plan - and attached via Other Attachments.

Organize the Instrumentation Plan in the specified order as described below, starting each section with the appropriate section heading (i.e., Justification of Need, Technical Expertise, Research Projects, etc.). Do not include links to websites for further information. Do not include animations/videos.

Introduction to Resubmission (if applicable): 2 pages Justification of Need: Name the requested instrument. Compare performance of the requested model with other similar instruments available on the market. Justify the need for specific features and special accessories of the requested instrument.

Each such feature or accessory must be utilized by at least three Major Users. If the requested instrument is under a lease agreement, demonstrate that the instrument is considered state-of-the-art at the time of the application submission (see details in Section IV. 6 Funding Restrictions).

Justify the need for software. All software supported by this program must be integrated in the operation of the instrument or be necessary for the generation of high-quality data from the instrument. Depending on the needs of research projects, different configurations of such software may be needed to ensure productive scientific use of the instrument.

If such additional software modules are requested (e.g., software configuration for the acquisition of metabolomics data, microscope image acquisition, and control modules), they must be essential for the advancement of research projects of at least three Major Users. As noted previously, stand-alone workstations, duplicate software items, and software licenses are not allowed.

Explain why the chosen model and its manufacturer are the most suitable for your user group. Preliminary data are not required, though if feasible, can be included to justify the choice of the instrument. Especially, if access to a demo instrument is practical, preliminary data are encouraged.

Provide an inventory of similar instruments existing at your institution, neighboring research institutions, or otherwise accessible; describe why each similar instrument is unavailable or inappropriate for the proposed research. If similar instruments are listed as "unavailable," add a letter to the Letters of Support section from the instrument manager explaining why the instrument is not available to your user group.

Include specific documentation on the current usage and downtime of each of these existing instruments in annual hours and a realistic estimate of the projected usage for the requested instrument. Tables may be used to clarify the presentation. Tables included within this section will count towards the specified page limit.

Define and justify the AUT for the requested instrument. The AUT is the number of annual hours the instrument can be practically used for biomedical research.

AUT hours may be limited by the times an instrument operator is available (if an operator is required), site or building access schedules, scheduled maintenance, start-up and standardization, and any other factors that take time away from the use of the instrument for biomedical research.

More importantly, AUT will be limited by the type of the technology requested; some instruments can be and are typically operated 24/7 while other technologies can be used only during regular hours. Therefore, justify the AUT based on the type of the technology requested and an individual managerial plan at your institution to make clear that the AUT corresponds to expected practical full-time use of the instrument at your institution.

Technical Expertise: Describe the technical expertise of individuals who will set up and run the instrument. Specify who will ensure that the instrument is safely operated and appropriately maintained. State who will train new users.

If the instrument requires complex sample preparation or consultation for experimental designs, describe the expert individual(s) who will serve in that capacity. Address technical support for data collection, management, and analysis. Research Projects: In this section, describe the benefit of the requested instrument to enhance Users research projects.

Research projects may be drawn from a broad array of topics in basic, translational, or clinical research; in particular, research projects on the advancements of technologies for the benefit of biomedical research may be included. Begin with the subsections Research Projects of Major Users. All Major Users must have substantial need for the requested instrument.

Detailed eligibility requirements for Major Users are described in Section III. 3. Since the funded research projects have been previously peer-reviewed, describe their details only as necessary to explain how the requested instrument will advance the projects research objectives.

Do not copy the Specific Aims section from a funded application. Present sufficient technical details about types of samples or specific experimental protocols to be employed to allow evaluation of whether the instrument is appropriate, would be effectively utilized, and would provide advantages over other methods and other similar existing or new instruments.

In particular, explain the need for special features and accessories of the requested instrument by describing the specific studies that will utilize these options, as at least three Major Users must need each of these special options. Similarly, if special software modules are requested, justify how they will advance the research projects of at least three Major Users.

Preliminary data are not required, but if available, they may be used to illustrate the benefit of the requested instrument to the research projects. Describe how generated data will be handled and analyzed so that benefits of the entire experimental set-up can be evaluated. Summarize benefits that the requested instrument will provide towards answering specific scientific questions.

Be succinct and clear. If you choose to structure this Research Project section by including the Research Projects of Major Users subsections, limit the text to no more than 2 pages per each Major User's project. In the beginning of each Major User's Project narrative, list the PI’s name and grant information (number, title, project start and end dates).