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Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitations for complete information about the funding opportunities.

Program Summary

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites eligible academic or research institutions to apply for funding support to purchase latest scientific equipment that will enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of existing shared biomedical research facilities. Targeted are laboratory research core facilities, animal research facilities, and other similar shared-use research spaces. The goal of this NOFO is to strengthen research-auxiliary activities of biomedical research facilities and to enhance the efficiency of their operations.

The NOFO does not support the purchase of scientific research instruments or their components, nor components of building-level infrastructure equipment that indirectly support research activities.

The objective of this NOFO is to support the acquisition of latest, technologically advanced equipment needed to advance the operational efficacy, productivity, and throughput; improve energy efficiency, enhance, or streamline operating processes and procedures in core laboratories, animal research facilities, or other shared-use research support space. Providing access to such equipment can also expand the capacity of essential support services for evolving and emerging research programs. Maintaining current functions, replacing broken equipment, and routine upgrading are not supported by this NOFO. This NOFO does not support the acquisition of scientific research instruments that acquire experimental data or any other instrument directly involved in experimental processes that lead to data collection. Some examples of such excluded instruments include, but are not limited to, spectrometers, microscopes, biomedical imagers, cell analyzers, sequencers, PCR machines, chromatography equipment, and metabolic cages. Computer and data storage systems supporting scientific data collection, storage, and analysis are also not supported by this NOFO. These instruments may be requested through ORIP’s shared instrumentation programs.

Animal research facilities are one of the targeted research areas of this NOFO. Examples of supported equipment for animal facilities include, but are not limited to:

• Multi-functional ventilated cages and/or cage racks for small animals
• Specialized caging system for large animals
• Aquatic animal systems equipped with water quality assessment sensors
• Automated feeding or watering systems to aid in consistency and accuracy of animal care
• Robotics and automations for animal facility operation
• Advanced, environmental-friendly, high performing or high-throughput cage, rack, bottle, and tunnel washerÌýsystems
• VeterinaryÌýcare devices and veterinary diagnostic systems
• Telemetry equipment to monitor cage conditions and/or animal well-being for purposes of animal husbandry (not experimental data collection)
• Environmental management devices that assist in the monitoring and customizing of environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, air flow, and lighting.

Deadlines

• CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST May 19, 2025
• Sponsor Application Deadline: 5:00pm MST September 25, 2025

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

• Research Plan (3 pages maximum): Please i) describe the shared-used facility where the proposed equipment will be installed, ii) demonstrate novel capabilities or operational innovation that will be enabled by the equipment, iii) justify the request by research-related needs, and iv) describe long-term plans for the maintenance and usage of the equipment.
• PI Curriculum Vitae
• Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

The PD/PI does not need to have an NIH research grant or any other research support. The PD/PI may be a core or an animal research facility director, tenured, or non-tenured faculty member of the applicant organization. The PD/PI must be affiliated with the applicant organization and must be registered on eRA Commons. Typically, the PD/PI will be a scientist with a leadership role in overseeing or managing the shared-use facility and relevant scientific or technical expertise (documented in the biographical sketch) related to the requested technology.

Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed under this NOFO.

Limited Submission Guidelines

Only one application per institution is allowed.

Award Information

The maximum award budget is $350,000 (direct costs only).The total project period may not exceed one year. Funds will be provided in a single award with a up to 12-month budget and project period.

Review Criteria

The internal evaluation process will follow NIH’s criteria below.

• Justification of Need: Does the project address an important modernization of research operation or support? How will successful completion of the project enable advancement in research operations of the facility or improve its efficiencies? Do the requested equipment and accessories adequately justify for the needs of the specific projects? How will the project benefit the shared-use facility, NIH-funded biomedical research, and/or the larger biomedical research enterprise at the applicant institution? How will the project remediate infrastructure deficiencies? Does the requested equipment take the facility to next level in terms of the technological solution, productivity, throughput, as opposed to simply replacing older equipment? Is the requested equipment well-justified by research-related needs and functions of the facility? Will the project, if accomplished, deliver solutions to mitigate existing deficiencies of the facility that take the facility to the next level? How will the project modernize, optimize, or add new capabilities to the operations of the facility? Are alternative solutions explored and the proposed equipment superior to them?
• Technical Expertise: Does the institution have the technical expertise to make effective use of the requested equipment? Does the PD/PI have scientific or technical expertise in research fields supported by the facility? Does the PD/PI or project team have the scientific or technical expertise required to operate and oversee the use of the equipment?
• Operational Innovations and Benefits: Does the equipment or project revolutionize or enable operational breakthrough of the shared facility? Does the project offer innovative technical solutions/technologies unafforded by current technologies within the facility? Does the project implement green technologies? Does the equipment project propose creative solutions to streamline operations, facilitate monitoring, reporting, and/or maintenance, modernize services of the facility, or provide new capabilities, as opposed to general outfitting of the space? If the modernization of an animal facility is proposed, will the project support high-quality, scientifically rigorous, and reproducible research or contribute to the modernization of the facility with capabilities of detecting, measuring, monitoring, recording, and reporting environmental factors?
• Administration: Does the institution have the necessary resources to accommodate the instrument? Does the PD/PI have suitable standing within the institutional structures to oversee and successfully complete the project? How well will the available utilities and existing infrastructure support the requested equipment?