S10 Grant Applications: Frequently Asked Questions

The SIS program is aimed at developing new shared instrumentation resources at all institutions. The SIS grant is intended to act as a seed from which the institution can grow its research portfolio, especially for institutions that currently have limited resources. Thus, SIS applications are for instrument types that the institution currently does not have.

The SIG program, on the other hand, is aimed at enabling the acquisition of state-of-the-art instruments to support NIH-funded research on a shared basis, regardless of whether the institution already has those types of instruments. Well-established facilities should apply to the SIG program; smaller, limited resource institutions are encouraged to apply to the SIS program when applicable. Please see the respective notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) descriptions for the SIG and SIS programs for more details.

The S10 program provides for the acquisition of a single item or an integrated system of state-of-the-art, commercially available research instruments to support a group of NIH-funded projects. The types of supported instruments include, but are not limited to, biomedical imagers, cyclotrons, photoacoustic imagers, mass spectrometers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, microscopes, cell sorters, 3D printers, and X-ray diffractometers. Applications for standalone computer systems (e.g., supercomputers, computer clusters, data storage systems) will be considered only if the system is solely dedicated to biomedical research. Detailed information on the instruments that are eligible or ineligible for S10 funding are provided in Section I of the NOFO description. Because of the evolving nature of technology, we encourage applicants to contact the Program Official with questions on instrumentation eligibility (see contact information at the bottom of this page).

NIH strongly advises that every effort should be made to give preference to domestically manufactured instruments to the maximum extent possible. For program-specific information, please see the relevant Q&A sections below.

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 are restricted to use with the system and must not be used independently. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Official to determine the eligibility of the device combination.

The S10 program encourages state-of-the-art and emerging technologies for advancing cutting-edge research. If a novel instrument is requested, the applicant should present evidence that the instrument has been commercialized, justify its need (i.e., explain how the novel technology will advance users’ research), and demonstrate special technical expertise. The applicant should also provide a detailed description of how users will be trained to use the technology. Any instrument or integrated system must be developed by reliable commercial vendors and guaranteed by the manufacturer’s 1-year warranty.

With strong scientific justification, foreign-made instruments are allowed; however, the reasons for choosing foreign-made instruments over domestically manufactured ones must also be justified. Cost alone cannot be a strong rationale for the justification. NIH urges that every effort be made to give preference to domestically manufactured instruments to the maximum extent possible.

Requesting funds to purchase an instrument under a lease agreement is strongly discouraged. The institution may lease an instrument after the application is reviewed, but only without the obligation to buy. If the leasing agreement was executed more than 1 year prior to submission of the S10 application, the applicant should provide strong evidence demonstrating that the instrument remains state of the art at the time of a Just-in-Time (JIT) submission and that the need for requested federal funds remains. NIH may pay for the remaining value, less a depreciation, only if the instrument is justified as state of the art at the time of funding. An application will be deemed ineligible and eliminated from funding considerations if a purchase order or agreement is executed or a down payment or other formal commitment to purchase the instrument is made prior to award. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Official before leasing an instrument (see contact information at the bottom of this webpage). A lease arrangement without advanced consultation with S10 Program Officials is less likely to be funded.

Whenever possible, the instrument is expected to be integrated into a core facility or another shared resource to encourage optimal sharing among individual investigators, research groups, and departments to foster a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, and promote cost effectiveness, making impact on a regional or national scale. If an instrument will be placed anywhere other than in a core facility or a shared resource facility, the application must demonstrate how broad access to the instruments will be arranged and how shared use will be ensured.

The administration plan should detail an organization’s management and financial plans specific to an S10 instrument, including the users’ accessibility, the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the instrument, and the committed staff support.

Only software that is integrated into the operation of the instrument or necessary for generating high-quality output data from the instrument is allowed. 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, tools for magnetic resonance spectrometry/magnetic resonance imaging functionalities), they must be essential for the advancement of research projects of at least three Major Users. As noted previously, stand-alone workstation, duplicate software items, software for post-processing and storage of the data, and software licenses are not allowed.

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. A quote also must include requested accessories and tax and import duties (tariffs), if applicable. A quote must be valid on the S10 application due date. An application without a valid quote is not responsive to the S10 NOFOs and will not be reviewed.

Preliminary data are not required, although if feasible, they can be included to justify the choice of the instrument and demonstrate major features or components of the instrument. Preliminary data are encouraged if access to a demo instrument is practical, and these data may be used to illustrate the benefits of the requested instrument to the research projects.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director (PD)/PI is eligible. The PD/PI may be a Core Director or tenured or nontenured faculty member of the applicant organization. The PD/PI must be affiliated with the applicant organization and must be registered on eRA Commons. One does not need to have an active grant to serve as a PD/PI for an S10 application.

No, multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed under the S10 mechanism.

The S10 grant mechanism is designed to have a single PD/PI structure, but key personnel and multiple users are expected on the S10 grants.

There is no specific requirement on chargeback fees. The application must include a financial plan for the operation and maintenance of the instrument for at least 5 years.

The Advisory Committee will help in administering the grant, overseeing the use of the instrument, and advising on expanding the user base. The PD/PI and the Advisory Committee should convene regular meetings and issue annual reports on the instrument status, including their recommendations for the instrument operations and plans for growing the user base. The Advisory Committee will also resolve any disputes about the allocation of instrument time among users. The head of the Advisory Committee will assist in providing annual usage reports to NIH. See Section I of the NOFO for more information.

An Advisory Committee must be named to advise the PD/PI in administering the grant and overseeing the usage of the instrument. The membership of the Advisory Committee should be broad and include at least one senior institutional official—such as a Department Chair from where the instrument is housed—to represent the financial commitment of the institution. The committee should include non-user members who can resolve disputes if they arise to avoid conflicts of interest. Major Users and Other NIH-Funded Users of the instrument may be members, but none should be the Chairperson. It is recommended that the Advisory Committee include at least four members. The PD/PI cannot serve as the Chairperson or a voting member of the Advisory Committee. The responsibilities of an Advisory Committee are described in Section I of the applicable NOFO.

No. The biosketch for the Advisory Committee members is not required. Biosketches are required for the PD/PI, Major Users, selected Other Users, and key technical staff, as applicable. Additional biosketches for Advisory Committee members with technical expertise can be included but are not required.

An S10 instrument requires an Advisory Committee per the NOFO requirement. An established Advisory Committee can serve for the S10 instrument, provided it meets the membership requirements as stated in the NOFO.

The S10 grant must fulfill the standard SF424 (Research & Related) application guide requirements and include two required attachments: the Instrumentation Plan (in lieu of Research Plan form) and Letters of Support. Detailed information on the critical elements of an S10 application are described in Section IV of the appropriate NOFO.

No. Letters of Support and Bibliography sections are not subject to the page limitations.

A resubmission can use a two-page Introduction to address reviewers’ concerns. The reviewers are given access to the A0 Summary Statement. 

Requesting additional features in a resubmission, while allowed, must be justified by showing how the features would meet the needs of at least three Major Users.

Each application is reviewed based on its own merit, including the team’s technical expertise. There is no review criterion about “spreading them out.”

Only active NIH-funded grants will be counted towards the percentage accessible usage time (%AUT) requirements. The information on pending grants or grants to be funded can be included in the applications. If a JIT is requested, the user information will be updated to include newly funded NIH research projects.

Yes. The S10 program supports only the instrument purchase. The institution is expected to provide support for the facility, personnel, service contracts, supplies, operation, and maintenance of the instrument. The application should include an institutional financial plan explaining the details.

S10-funded instruments should be used on a shared basis to advance research. The instrument can be used for training purposes, but priority should be given to NIH-funded research projects.

To be eligible for fulfilling the required NIH user group or specific usage hours, the NIH research awards must be active on the S10 submission due date.

Yes. Per the Federal Advisory Committee Act requirement, NIH applications are first reviewed by an initial review group (study section) for scientific merit and then undergo a second level of review by the institute, center, or office (ICO) Advisory Council to validate the study section's review results and relevance to the ICO’s mission. The NIH Council of Councils advises ORIP grant activities. For more information about the Council of Councils, please see https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/council.

In addition to commercial software, iSMART (instrument Schedule Management, Access Requesting and Tracking), which is accessible via the S10 Reports Dashboard, is a free NIH software for usage tracking, reporting, and billing.

The S10 funding mechanism does not use a payline. Factors considered for making funding recommendations/decisions include scientific merits, impact score, co-funding interest, availability of funds, relevance of the proposed projects to program priorities, and the types of supported instruments and geographical distribution of awards.

To maximize the efficiency of instrument usage, an institution may request a Special Use Instrument (SUI) for instruments that cost more than $1 million in direct costs to support a small fraction of billable clinical use. Cost sharing is required for an SUI. Eligibility requirements for an SUI are described in Section III.3 of the SIG NOFO. We strongly encourage the applicants to contact the Program Official and Grants Management staff before requesting an SUI, as SUIs must meet special administrative rules to be eligible for funding.

When an instrument that costs more than $1 million in direct costs cannot be justified solely for NIH-supported and other biomedical research, the institution may request an SUI. The activities supported by the instrument that are not related to biomedical research may include research in other fields, curricular instructions, and billable clinical care. The justification of need for an SUI can be based only on the requirements of NIH-funded or other biomedical research and not on non–biomedical research needs. Details on eligibility requirements for an SUI are described in Sections III.3 and IV.2 of the SIG NOFO.

The institution may contribute a portion of the cost of the requested SUI, commensurate with the proposed use of the instrument for other than biomedical research. The instrument’s Biomedical Research Time (BRT) must be at least 50% of the AUT or the percentage of the NIH contribution toward the purchase of the instrument, whichever is larger. BRT is the number of annual hours that the instrument is available for use in conducting biomedical research. In addition, the non-NIH funds must be at least 25% of the total instrument price. The institution must also provide specific long-term plans to secure and protect access to the instrument for biomedical researchers, as detailed in Section IV.2 of the SIG NOFO. We strongly encourage the applicants to contact the Program Official and Grants Management staff before requesting an SUI, as SUIs must meet special administrative rules to be eligible for funding.

Cost sharing is required for high-end or premium instruments that cost more than $2 million. For instruments priced between $2 million and $5 million, NIH will fund up to $2 million in direct costs. For premium instruments that cost $5 million or more, the institution must provide a minimum of 40% in cost sharing. Although there is no upper limit for the instrument cost, the maximum NIH support is $5 million.

For an instrument that costs $4 million, NIH can support only up to $2 million in direct costs. Therefore, for Total Federal Funds Requested, enter $2 million. Because the remaining cost is $2 million, for the Total Non-Federal Funds, enter $2 million. See SIG NOFO Section II.2, Cost Sharing, for more details.

For a $6 million instrument, because this instrument costs more than $5 million, the cost-sharing rule of at least 40% applies. So, $6 million x 40% = $2.4 million; therefore, for the Total Non-Federal Funds, enter $2.4 million. For Total Federal Funds Requested, because the remaining cost is $3.6 million ($6 million − $2.4 million = $3.6), enter $3.6 million.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is for a distinct instrument type.

No, the PI of the grant application does not need to be a Major User/Other User or have a research grant. However, the PI is expected to have expertise in the relevant instrument and the ability to perform the necessary scientific and administrative oversight responsibilities for the requested instrument. 

A Major User is an individual who has a substantial need for the requested instrument, as demonstrated by a relevant research grant as a PI. 

An application must have at least three Major Users with distinct active NIH research awards (i.e., a grant or a cooperative agreement). An award given to multi–PDs/PIs is counted only once toward the fulfillment of this requirement.

NIH training or fellowship grants (i.e., T and F mechanisms), other non-research and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) grants, Other Transaction (OT) awards, and contracts cannot be counted toward the fulfillment of this requirement. 

The application must meet the %AUT requirements for the NIH-funded research. The remaining AUT can be used for non-NIH-funded research. We encourage collaborations beyond the applicant’s own institution.

AUT hours may be limited by the time an instrument operator is available (if an operator is required) or by site or building access schedules, scheduled maintenance, startup and standardization, or any other factors that take time away from using the instrument for biomedical research. More importantly, AUT will be limited by the type of technology requested; some instruments can be—and typically are—operated 24/7, whereas other technologies can be used only during regular hours. Therefore, justify the AUT based on the type of technology requested and submit an individual managerial plan at your institution to clarify that the AUT corresponds to expected practical full-time use of the instrument at your institution.

Yes. After fulfilling the 65% AUT requirement for NIH-funded research projects, the instrument can be used to support other projects.

An S10 application is expected to 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 toward the specified page limit.

The research projects can be structured either by the Major and Other NIH Users subsections or by Specific Research Topics subsections. The latter format may be especially useful for avoiding redundancies in the presentation of research projects if several Major Users pursue research topics that follow similar protocols, and the scientific benefits of the new instruments for their projects are comparable. Because the funded research projects have been previously peer reviewed, describe details only as necessary to explain how they are relevant to the requested instrument or major components and features. Please do not copy the information on the Specific Aims page of the research grants. Present sufficient technical details about types of samples or specific experimental protocols to be employed to determine whether the instrument is appropriate, will be effectively utilized, and would provide advantages over other methods and other similar existing or new instruments.

The project table must include the following columns: S10 grant number, year of award, installation date of the instrument, PD/PI’s name, generic name of instrument, instrument status, actual usage time, maintenance agreement, and publications. A table template can be accessed here . 

It depends on the field of research, institution, and size of the user base.

Although the number of users and AUT depends on the institution, as well as the instrument type, NIH recognizes that instruments can help institutions grow research capacities and attract future users. NIH encourages the applicant to explain the effort and plans for recruiting potential users and research projects, including those from neighboring institutions.

It could go either way. Applications are reviewed on the merit of what is in the application. In addition to the PI’s technical and administrative experience in managing the instrument, it will be important to get letters of institutional support for operating and maintaining the instrument.

Sample applications will be made available at a later date.

Yes, you can apply for an S10 SIS grant as long as the grant is for an instrument type that does not currently exist at your institution. SIS grants are intended to create and grow new research capacity where it currently does not exist. Applying for a SIS grant for a similar type of instrument as your recently awarded S10 is not allowed. A strong case should be made as to why the SIS instrument will create and expand your research capabilities rather than enhancing already existing infrastructure. 

No. A SIS grant should bring new capabilities to the applicant’s institution. Upgrades to existing instruments/equipment are not allowed.

Yes, but only if the SIS grant is for an instrument type that does not exist at your institution. A strong case must be made as to how this seed instrument will be used to grow the research programs at your institute. An application for an instrument type that exists in a different core facility at the same institution is ineligible.

No. The SIS program is intended to provide support for growing research operations at the applicant’s institution. The instrument may not be used for billable clinical care. 

Yes, cost sharing is allowed. In the event that the instrument costs more than $400,000, the SIS program will provide only up to $400,000 in support. Any cost in excess of that must be provided by the applicant’s institution. This financial commitment should be made explicitly clear in a letter of support.

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PD/PI is eligible. The PD/PI may be a Core Director or a tenured or nontenured faculty member of the applicant organization. The PD/PI must be affiliated with the applicant organization and must be registered on eRA Commons. One does not need to have an active grant to serve as a PD/PI for an S10 SIS application. However, there must be at least two NIH-funded users of the proposed instrument, and at least one of them must be based at the applicant’s institution.

No, the PI of the grant application does not need to be a user or have a research grant. However, the PI is expected to have the relevant instrument expertise and ability to perform the necessary scientific and administrative oversight responsibilities for the requested instrument. If the PI is a user and does not have an active NIH grant, there must be two additional users with active NIH grants, at least one of which must be based at the applicant’s institution.

NIH training or fellowship grants (i.e., T and F mechanisms), other non-research and SBIR/STTR grants, OT awards, and contracts cannot be counted toward the fulfillment of this requirement. 

The project must have at least two NIH-funded users, of which at least one must be based at the applicant’s institution. The second user may be from the same or a different institution. Because the SIS program is intended to help develop and grow shared research infrastructure, NIH-funded users from other institutions are highly encouraged. 

In general, no. An S10 SIS application is designed to bring new research capacity to the applicant’s institution. The requested instrument must be of a type that does not currently exist at the applicant’s institution. Instruments of a similar type but with substantially new technologies may be allowed if the PI can justify that this new technology is a significant breakthrough from the prior instrument, necessary for building research capacity at the institution, and needed by at least two users. In this case, please contact the Program Official to discuss eligibility before submitting an application.