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High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program (S10) - FAQs (PAR-16-053)

What is the High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program (S10)?

The High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program (S10), listed as PAR-16-053, is an NIH funding opportunity intended to help research institutions acquire or upgrade a single, high-cost, commercially available piece of specialized scientific equipment.

What is the main purpose of this program?

The program is designed to strengthen NIH-supported biomedical and behavioral research by improving shared access to advanced instrumentation that individual laboratories typically cannot afford on their own.

What kind of funding does this opportunity support?

This opportunity supports the purchase or upgrade of one major, high-end instrument or integrated system, rather than funding a broad research project.

Does the program fund more than one instrument in a single award?

Based on the description provided, the program is intended to support a single, high-cost piece of specialized scientific equipment (or a single integrated system), including the option to upgrade that instrument/system.

What is the minimum cost threshold for an instrument to qualify?

The instrument (or integrated system) must have a purchase or upgrade cost of at least $600,000 to fit the program’s stated threshold.

What is the maximum award amount?

The award can be as large as $2,000,000.

Why is the maximum award so high?

The program recognizes that many cutting-edge instrumentation platforms can reach seven figures when essential components and installation requirements are included, especially in areas like imaging, structural biology, and high-throughput analysis.

What types of instruments are examples of what NIH will consider?

Examples mentioned include X-ray diffraction systems, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instruments, mass spectrometers, DNA and protein sequencers, biosensors, electron microscopes, confocal microscopes, cell sorters, and biomedical imaging systems.

Is the list of example instruments exhaustive?

No. The examples are explicitly not meant to be exhaustive, which suggests other comparable high-end, specialized tools may be considered if they are justified as essential to NIH-relevant research and meet the program requirements described.

Who is expected to apply for this funding?

Applications are expected from groups of NIH-supported investigators who can demonstrate an ongoing need for the instrument and provide clear plans for how it will be used, maintained, and shared among multiple users.

What does “shared access” mean in this program context?

The program is framed around improving access for multiple users rather than supporting a single laboratory’s exclusive use. Applicants are expected to describe how the instrument will be made available to a community of users.

What kinds of research does this program aim to support?

The program is intended to enhance NIH-supported biomedical and behavioral research by enabling better data quality, expanded technical capabilities, and competitiveness in fields where access to modern instrumentation is critical.

Is this opportunity considered a discretionary grant program?

Yes. It is identified as a discretionary grant program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11), within a health-focused activity category.

What CFDA number is associated with this program?

The CFDA number provided for this opportunity is 93.351.

How competitive is the program?

The expected number of awards was around 20 for the referenced cycle, which signals a competitive program with a limited number of awards compared to likely demand.

When was this specific opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted and created on December 9, 2015, and had a closing date of May 16, 2016 (with the original and current closing date listed the same), indicating a specific historical submission round.

Does the opportunity information describe an ongoing program or a specific cycle?

The dates provided place the listing in a specific historical submission cycle, even though the S10 high-end instrumentation mechanism itself is described as well known within NIH infrastructure funding.

Which organizations are eligible to apply?

Eligibility includes 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) entities) other than institutions of higher education.

What does the “Others” eligibility category mean?

The listing includes an “Others” category that points to additional eligibility details referenced elsewhere in the full announcement, implying some additional organization types may qualify depending on NIH’s specific criteria.

What is the instrument expected to support in practical terms?

In practical terms, the HEI S10 program is meant to fund one major instrument that serves a community of NIH-funded researchers, enabling multiple projects and investigators to produce improved data and expand technical capabilities.

Is the instrument required to be commercially available?

Yes. The description specifies that the instrument is expected to be commercially available.

Are applicants expected to address maintenance and ongoing operation?

Yes. The description notes that applicants should have clear plans for how the instrument will be used, maintained, and made available to multiple users.

Is an upgrade to an existing instrument eligible, or only a new purchase?

Both are described as eligible, as the program supports acquiring or upgrading a single high-cost instrument or integrated system.

What is the overarching benefit this program is trying to achieve?

The program’s core goal is to strengthen NIH-supported research by removing access barriers to advanced, expensive instrumentation and improving shared institutional capabilities that directly affect scientific output.