ORIP Director’s Blog

Welcome to fiscal year 2022 and the inaugural Director’s Message from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP). As many of you know, ORIP funds scientific, human, and physical resources to ensure the Nation’s capability to prevent, diagnose, and treat human disease. In this first ORIP Director’s Message, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new Resource-Related Research Projects (R24) grant program: “Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations” (PAR-21-326).

Through discussions with grantees, applicants, and scientific researchers from a broad range of biomedical investigations, ORIP identified a need to provide support for equipment that is not used directly for scientific data collection but enhances the operation of biomedical research facilities. In addition to providing for such equipment, the new program covers minor alteration and renovation that might be needed to ensure proper installation and functioning of the equipment.

This initiative targets core facilities, animal research facilities, and other research spaces that are used on a shared basis. The program is intended to introduce operational innovations or new capacities rather than be used for general outfitting, routine maintenance, or simply replacing older equipment. By providing access to modern shared-use equipment through this new funding opportunity, we expect that the scientific community can expand their capacity for essential support services to evolving and emerging research programs.

The Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities program is managed by ORIP’s Division of Construction and Instruments (DCI) which supports improvements of research infrastructure by enabling access to state-of-the-art shared instruments and by modernizing animal and other biomedical research facilities. The program aligns with the ORIP Strategic Plan 2021-2025 Strategy 2.2: Modernize the research infrastructure of laboratories and animal research facilities.

DCI program officials will hold a webinar for applicants to learn more about the program and obtain answers to questions that applicants may have. The webinar will be held on Friday, October 22, 2 pm-4 pm EDT. You may register here. Applications for PAR-21-326 are due on December 01, 2021.

We look forward to a productive fiscal year and continuing to fund research resources that support innovative biomedical research in partnership with other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. To stay up-to-date with ORIP news and events, please follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Franziska B. Grieder, DVM, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs