Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 113

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 113

The NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10; clinical trial not allowed) is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to help groups of NIH-supported investigators obtain access to major, high-end research equipment by funding the purchase or upgrade of a single, expensive, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. The core idea is shared use: the application is expected to come from a team of investigators who already have NIH support and who can clearly demonstrate that the requested instrument will be broadly used, well managed, and essential to ongoing and near-term biomedical or behavioral research.

Funding is provided as a grant, and the program sets clear boundaries around the size of the request. The minimum award amount is $50,000 in direct costs, and the maximum award amount is $600,000 in direct costs. While the instrument itself does not have a stated maximum purchase price, NIH will not provide more than $600,000 in direct costs through this mechanism, so applicants typically need to plan accordingly if the total cost exceeds the cap (for example, through institutional cost sharing or other non-SIG resources, if allowed by the program rules and their institution). The opportunity is tied to NIH funding activity categories in health, with CFDA numbers 93.351 and 93.859.

The types of equipment supported are the kind that are typically too costly or specialized for a single lab to justify on its own, but that can meaningfully accelerate productivity across multiple projects when centrally shared. Examples explicitly mentioned include X-ray diffractometers, mass spectrometers, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers, DNA and protein sequencers, biosensors, electron and light microscopes, cell sorters, and biomedical imaging systems. The emphasis is on commercially available instruments or integrated systems, which generally means the program is oriented toward proven platforms rather than speculative custom builds.

A wide range of applicant organizations are eligible, reflecting NIH's intent to support shared research infrastructure across many institutional settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The opportunity also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized ones, and US territories or possessions.

At the same time, NIH places strict limits on foreign involvement for this particular opportunity. Non-domestic (non-US) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of US organizations are also not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In addition, the funding opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which means the application cannot propose a clinical trial as part of the work supported by this instrument acquisition.

Administratively, the opportunity is run by the National Institutes of Health. The funding opportunity number is PAR-20-113, and the original closing date listed in the source information is 2020-06-01, with a creation date of 2020-02-18. Even if the specific due date has passed for that posting, the summary captures the program's purpose and major constraints: NIH is investing in shared, high-cost instrumentation that will serve multiple NIH-funded investigators, within a direct-cost request range of $50,000 to $600,000, under rules that exclude clinical trials and disallow foreign applicants or foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351, 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-06-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 20 113

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