- Awards Details: One item of the requested instrumentation must cost at least $50,000. No instrument in a cluster can cost less than $20,000. There is no maximum price requirement; however, the maximum award is $750,000.
- Description:
The Shared Instrumentation for Animal Research (SIFAR) Grant Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-funded investigators to purchase or upgrade scientific instruments necessary to carry out animal experiments in all areas of biomedical research supported by the NIH. Applicants may request clusters of commercially available instruments configured as specialized integrated systems or as series of instruments to support a thematic well-defined area of research using animals or related materials. Priority will be given to uniquely configured systems to support innovative and potentially transformative investigations.
This FOA supports requests for state-of-the art commercially available technologies needed for NIH-funded research using any vertebrate and invertebrate animal species.
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) does not support requests for single instruments. At least one item of the requested instrumentation must cost at least $50,000, after all applicable discounts. No instrument in a cluster can cost less than $20,000, after all applicable discounts. There is no maximum price requirement; however, the maximum award is $750,000 of direct costs.
In summary, this FOA solicits requests to purchase state-of-the-art commercially available instruments that are to be used on a shared basis and are needed by NIH-funded investigators engaged in biomedical research using animals or related materials such as animal tissues, cells or germplasm.
Applicants may also request single research instruments (such as sequencers, microscopes, or imagers) to be placed in animal barrier facilities to support research activities which cannot be taken outside of the barrier; for example, longitudinal studies or research in a specific pathogen-free environment. For single instruments not intended to be used in a barrier facility, applicants should consider applying to the Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program or High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program. Concurrent submissions to the SIFAR, SIG, and HEI Programs can be made only under conditions described in Section III.
The SIFAR Program will not support requests for:
- A single instrument whose individual cost is less than $50,000 (Similarly, a series/cluster of instruments must include at least one instrument whose individual cost is at least $50,000.);
- Any instrument in a cluster/series with a base cost of less than $20,000;
- Software, unless it is integral to the operation of the instrument(s);
- Purely instructional equipment, institutional administrative management systems, clinical management systems;
- Instruments to be used for clinical (billable) care;
- General purpose equipment or an assortment of instruments to furnish a research facility and equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure (such as standard machine shop equipment, standard computer networks, autoclaves, hoods, ventilated cages, and other equipment to upgrade animal facilities);
- Disposable devices, office furniture, and supplies;
- Alteration or renovation of space to house the instrument(s).
- Instruments must be used for research purposes only. Foreign-made equipment is allowable.
Eligibility: Meet Major User Group eligibility requirements (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-19-178.html#_3._Additional_Information)
Interested applicants should send the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_NIH SIFAR 19-178_2019 no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
- Description of the proposed instrumentation, including justification of need (2 page)
- List of the major user group (must meet the Major User Group), including: (2 pages)
- Include the names, college and department of each of the 3 Major Users who have substantial need for the entire instrumentation request.
- Include the names of the Active NIH grants for each Major User (each major user must be PI/PD on a distinct active NIH research award in an area of biomedical research using animals or animal tissue.)
- Estimate of the cost and the amount to be requested in the grant proposal. If the cost exceeds the request, a description of the source(s) of funding for the balance. (1 page)
- Explanation of how the costs of installation, maintenance, support personnel, and service will be met. (1 page)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.