No, funding of an RLI-S10 application does not affect the PI's ESI status.

The institution can submit multiple applications for distinct instruments. However, the PI for each instrument should be distinct. There is a limit of $250,000 award for each application, but no limit on the number of submitted applications per institution.

The review of these applications will be performed at the Center for Scientific Review by a panel that is solely focused on the RLI-S10 application review.

Because of confidentiality issues, we cannot post a successful proposal. However, we will provide links to funded awards on the program website.

The RLI-S10 instrument program is intended to enhance research and education at the applicant institution and the acquired instruments are shared. Therefore, movement of the instrument to a new institution with the PI is not permitted.

The number of awards will be based on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of funds.

Those are the institutes that have signed on to provide funding for this NOFO. However, for the purpose of submission, all applications are initially submitted to NIGMS.

The Equipment Oversight Committee is an institution oversight committee for all shared instruments in the applicant institution. The committee oversees institutional research infrastructure and equipment. The plans should help coordinate use and maintenance, and ensure broad access to the instrument.

Hispanic serving institution designation is not included in the eligibility requirements for this funding opportunity.

No, the eligibility requirements for this funding opportunity are distinct from those for the AREA(R15) program and you will have to check separately.

Any institution that meets the three eligibility criteria is acceptable.

Yes, they are eligible if they meet the above criteria.

They likely do, requested instruments may support biomedical research and education in basic, translational, biomedically-related behavioral, or clinical fields. Please reach out to Dr. Dorothy Beckett to share the goal of the research to be supported to confirm that it is biomedical in nature.

The criteria are institutions that enroll at least 35% of undergraduate students supported by Pell grants (calculated as a yearly average from the past three academic years based on data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics).

The PI must be a full-time employee of the applicant institution, but does not have to be a U.S. citizen.

Users and PIs are distinct. Only one PI, at least three Major Users, which can include a laboratory course, and an unspecified number of Minor Users are required. The PI may be a Major User for a research project and/or the instructor for a Major User laboratory course.

An application can have two PIs, although, most applications to this program have only one PI.

A course can be a Minor User that will occasionally use the instrument.

Yes, an ESI assistant professor can serve as the PI of an RLI-S10 application and career stage will not influence the likelihood of funding.

No, each application should request funding for one instrument.

It is best to have a unique PI for each application from an eligible institution.

A Major User should have a relatively high demand for instrument time, while a Minor User will access the instrument only occasionally. However, the NOFO does not stipulate the number of hours per year for either type of user.

Yes, it is acceptable for the same PI to be a Minor User on one grant and a Major User on another from the same institution.

Only one PI is required.

Correct, at least three Major Users are required for each application.

Yes, in this scenario the faculty member and their research count as one Major User while the course is a separate Major User. The faculty member can be described as the instructor for the course, that is the Major User.

There is some confusion about the difference between a PI and a User. A single individual can be a Major User on two applications. However, the PIs should be distinct for these two applications.

No, the PI, Major, and Minor Users are not required to have other active funding.

Major and Minor Users can be drawn from nearby institutions that do not meet applicant institution eligibility criteria, such as non-HBCU institutions. However, the instrument must be housed at the applicant, in this case HBCU, institution.

No personnel salaries from within or outside the institution are appropriate to budget under this funding opportunity.

No, unless this is included as part of the initial instrument quote and purchase.

The maximum budget for each application is limited to $250,000. Institutions may submit multiple applications but they must have different PIs.

There is no limit on the number of applications from one institution.

If training is part of the vendor quote, it can be covered by this program. However, independently scheduled workshops, software licenses, and consumable items are not covered.

No, this funding opportunity does not provide funds for personnel.

No, reagents may not be included in the budget unless they are included routinely with the cost of the instrument.

There are no limits on the non-NIH cost of the instrument.

This funding opportunity allows purchase of up to five years of service contract for the instrument. However, payment of all five years of the contract must be completed in the single year of the award.

No, you may not budget in inflation costs.

No, the program does not support facility upgrades required for instrument installation. These are the responsibility of the institution.

Close to the time of award, the institution will be required to submit an updated quote from the manufacturer. Provided that the revised total does not exceed the $250,000 cap, the NIH may cover the difference in cost.

If the updated quote indicates a change in the instrument cost, the approval of funds for any additional costs is carried out by the NIH internally.

We do not have a set aside budget for this program. The number of awards will depend on the number of meritorious applications received and the availability of funds.

This program includes the option of requesting up to five years of service contract support. However, since the awards are for only one year, the five years must be paid for during that year.

Yes, the updated quote can include a letter of commitment from the institution to cover the difference.

No, Applicants must, however, limit the requested budget to the stipulated $25,000 to $250,000 range.

Yes, that should be a part of your quote.

Yes, you can request the maximum amount and then provide documentation for how your institution will make up the difference.

The institution can request a one-year, no-cost extension for the S10 award; and the instrument could be purchased during the next 12 months. The budget would not change, but a second no-cost extension is very unlikely.

This instrument is appropriate for the program.

There is no preferred list of instruments. However, at the beginning of the NOFO there is a list of institutes that have signed onto the opportunity. If you are wondering if your instrument of choice is appropriate for the NOFO, you should investigate if it can be used for the science that at least one of these institutes supports.

We did some research on this and think that it would be appropriate. However, the review outcome will depend on the justification for need and the use of the Syndavers in research and education.

You may request an advanced version of an older instrument. However, you will have to provide justification for acquiring a newer model.

Any of the institutes that have signed on to the NOFO could potentially fund applications. However, not all of them provided the specific scientific areas of interest. For those that did not provide descriptions, you may access mission statements at the institutions' websites.

The combination of two aligned instruments for research projects and laboratory courses is acceptable, as long as the combination is well-justified in the application.

This program is intended for single instruments for use in research projects and advanced laboratory courses.

This combination might be acceptable. However, a workstation and software for running an instrument would likely not review well without including an instrument.

Each application should be for a single instrument, or in some cases, for multiple instruments aligned to perform a specific task. One application should not request multiples of an instrument and each application from an institution should request a distinct instrument.

This will depend on what is requested. For example, we have previously awarded funds to an institution to add a helium recycling system to their NMR spectrometer laboratory. Any item that is requested should be well-justified in the application.

The applicant should select the instrument that is most appropriate for the proposed uses. However, this NOFO does not support purchase of multiple instrument units for equipping a laboratory course.

This use of funds is not appropriate. The purpose of this NOFO is to provide funding for one instrument or an instrument system for use in research and/or education. The purpose is not to equip teaching laboratories.

Yes, computers and server equipment are included as appropriate instruments for this funding opportunity.

Yes, an integrated LC-Mass Analyzer is appropriate.

Major Users with research projects and course instructor Major Users should provide biosketches. Minor Users may provide a biosketch, but do not have to.

This is very application-specific. However, one example would be the use of a confocal microscope for analysis of intracellular trafficking.

Vendors typically have a set time window for their quotes. If the quote has expired at the time of funding consideration, we will request a new one from the investigator.

There is no requirement for preliminary data. However, the application must demonstrate integration of the instrument into the proposed uses outlined in the Research Projects and Laboratory Courses.

Although the NOFO does not stipulate that the biosketch of a Major User laboratory course instructor be included, since this individual can be considered Key Personnel, his/her biosketch should be included in the application.

It is not necessary to upload the certificate because the credential can be described in your Personal Statement and/or List of Accomplishments that you provide in the biosketch. However, if you do upload the document, it should be included as part of the biosketch, which should not exceed five pages.

You should not provide a biosketch for any personnel who are To Be Determined (TBD).

Letters should verify that your institution meets the eligibility criteria and affirm the institution's commitment to instrument housing, accessibility, and maintenance. The letters should also provide information regarding institutional support for personnel, and if applicable, state the amount of matching funds for instrument purchase. If animals or infectious agents are involved, a containment plan should be described by an institutional biosafety officer.

Yes, there are reporting requirements. This report will contain, as applicable, information about the usage and operation of the instrument, description of research and educational activities that benefited from the instrument, and a summary of research and educational outcomes as documented by publications and any benefits to student learning or instruction.