Limited Submission 04/05/2022
----- Division of Research -----
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The Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase a single high-priced, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system.

The minimum award is $25,000. There is no maximum price limit for the instrument; however, the maximum award is $250,000. Instruments supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, or computer systems.

The main objective of the BIG Program is to make available modern scientific instruments that are needed by NIH-funded investigators and other groups of biomedical scientists to advance their research and to broaden access to modern technologies at academic and research institutions nationwide. Typically, state-of-the-art technologies that are indispensable for today’s research are too costly for a single investigator to purchase or operate. Their acquisitions can only be justified on a shared-use basis.
Sponsor
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Limited Submission
UNLV is limited to ONE application.
Deadlines
OSP Required Notice of Intent Due: 04/19/2022 12:00 pm
Submit NOI via the Limited Submission Portal
No late submissions will be considered. Information needed: PI information, project title, one page abstract and three potential internal reviewer names

Sponsor Application Due: 06/01/2022
Website
CFDA #
93.351 and 93.859
Highlights
The BIG Program supports acquisitions of scientific instruments that are justified by investigators’ needs to pursue their scientific projects in basic, translational, or clinical fields. The program requires that three Major Users with NIH-funded research projects demonstrate significant need for the requested instrument.

The BIG Program will not support requests for:
  • An instrument with a base cost of less than $25,000;
  • Multiple instruments bundled together;
  • Purely instructional equipment;
  • Instruments used for clinical (billable) care;
  • Instruments that are not commercially available and do not have a manufacturer warranty;
  • Institutional administrative management systems, clinical management systems;
  • Software, unless it is integrated in the operation of the instrument and/or necessary for generation of high-quality experimental data from the instrument;
  • Multiple stand-alone workstations for data processing, software licenses, and duplicate software items;
  • General purpose equipment (such as standard machine shop equipment), instruments to furnish a research facility (such as autoclaves, hoods, equipment to upgrade animal facilities), equipment for routine sustaining infrastructure (such as standard computer networks or data storage systems);
  • Disposable devices, office furniture, and supplies;
  • Alteration or renovation of space to house the instruments.
Notice of Intent
At least two weeks will be given to submit a NOI (abstract/summary 1 pg max).
Pre-Proposals
If NOIs received exceeds maximum number of proposals permitted, at least two weeks will be given to submit a pre-proposal (project narrative 4 pg max and budget amount overview).
Internal Review
Pre-proposals are reviewed by a panel of peers comprised of UNLV researchers. At least two if not three reviews for every proposal submitted is performed. At least two weeks will be given to the reviewers to rate the pre-proposals. The review committee recommends which proposal(s) best meet sponsor's criteria and which best align with the mission of the department, college, and university.
Exception
If there are fewer than 30 working days until the sponsor deadline the proposals will be submitted on a first-come, first-served basis. If any proposals come in after UNLV has reached its maximum number of submissions, those proposals will not be submitted.
Althea Sheets, Communications Manager for Research Development, Office of Sponsored Programs, althea.sheets@unlv.edu, 702-895-1880