Shared Instrumentation for Animal Research (SIFAR) Grant Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 178

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 178

The Shared Instrumentation for Animal Research (SIFAR) Grant Program is an NIH funding opportunity designed to help groups of NIH-funded investigators acquire or upgrade shared, high-end research instrumentation that is specifically needed to conduct animal-based experiments across any NIH-supported area of biomedical research. The program is aimed at strengthening institutional or interdepartmental research capabilities by enabling multiple investigators to access advanced, commercially available technologies that would be difficult for a single lab to justify or maintain on its own. The notice makes clear that this is an S10 instrumentation mechanism and that clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity.

A central feature of SIFAR is that it supports clustered purchases rather than single equipment requests. Applicants are expected to propose either an integrated, specially configured system made up of multiple components or a coherent set (a series) of instruments that together support a well-defined research theme involving animals or animal-derived materials. The NIH indicates a preference for uniquely configured instrumentation clusters that enable innovative work and could be transformative for the participating investigators, which signals that reviewers will be looking for a strong rationale for why the proposed configuration is necessary and how it will materially advance ongoing NIH-funded projects.

The cost structure is also tightly defined. At least one item within the requested instrumentation cluster must have a price of at least $50,000 after any applicable discounts, and no item within the cluster may cost less than $20,000 after discounts. While there is no stated maximum price requirement for any individual instrument, the overall award amount is capped, with a maximum award of $750,000. In practice, that means applicants need to build a well-justified package of equipment that fits within the ceiling, demonstrates shared usage, and clearly ties to existing NIH-funded research needs.

The program supports state-of-the-art, commercially available technologies needed for NIH-funded research using any vertebrate or invertebrate animal species. This broad scope is meant to accommodate a wide variety of animal research contexts and platforms (for example, advanced imaging or monitoring systems, specialized behavior or physiology platforms, or other complex systems), as long as the request is for a cluster rather than a standalone instrument and the research use case is grounded in active NIH-supported work.

Eligibility includes a range of U.S.-based organizations such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). The announcement also highlights that certain institution types are included among eligible applicants, such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Foreign participation is explicitly restricted: non-U.S. (non-domestic) entities are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health under Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-178 and falls under the health funding activity category with CFDA number 93.351. The original closing date listed in the source information is May 31, 2019. For any application planning, the FOA itself is the controlling document for the detailed eligibility requirements, allowable costs, application structure, and review criteria, particularly because instrumentation programs often include specific expectations around governance, access, scheduling, service contracts, and long-term sustainability of shared equipment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Shared Instrumentation for Animal Research (SIFAR) Grant Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-05-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for PAR 19 178

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