Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA GM 13 010
Apply for RFA GM 13 010
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 30, 2012 and posted on Jul 25, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments For profit organizations other than small businesses County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Special district governments City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications (R21) (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-GM-13-010) was a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health, administered through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program was designed to support innovative, early-stage projects focused on creating new research instruments or significantly improving existing ones for biomedical research. The core idea behind the opportunity was to move beyond incremental upgrades and instead encourage inventive instrumentation approaches that can enable or accelerate discovery across many areas of biology and medicine.
A central requirement of this announcement was broad usefulness. Proposed tools were expected to be applicable to a wide range of biomedical or clinical researchers rather than tailored to a single organ system, a specific disease area, or a narrowly defined research niche. In practical terms, this meant reviewers would be looking for instruments with clear potential for general adoption or adaptation across multiple research communities, methods, or experimental contexts. The emphasis on “instrumentation” indicates the focus was on developing the tool itself (including performance, reliability, and usability), not simply using standard equipment to answer a particular biological question.
The award mechanism was the NIH R21, which is commonly used to support exploratory and developmental research. This mechanism typically fits projects where the instrument concept is promising but still needs development, prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, or key validation steps before larger-scale funding would make sense. The funding activity category was Health, and the CFDA listing associated with the program was 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training). There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide non-federal funds to match the award.
Financially, the opportunity listed an estimated total funding level of $2,000,000 and an award ceiling of $125,000, indicating that individual awards were capped at that amount under the terms of this announcement. While the ceiling provides a maximum, applicants would still need to propose a budget that matches the scope and needs of the planned instrument development work, including any prototyping, engineering effort, testing, and early validation activities appropriate for an R21.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments (including city/township and county governments), special district governments, and independent school districts. The announcement also allowed nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. It explicitly included several categories of mission-serving institutions and community-oriented entities, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations, as well as U.S. territories or possessions and certain regional organizations. At the same time, it clearly excluded non-U.S. entities: foreign institutions were not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed.
From an administrative timeline standpoint, the opportunity was posted on July 25, 2012, with an original closing date of October 30, 2012, and a current closing date of October 31, 2012. The archive date was November 30, 2012, meaning the announcement is no longer active for new submissions under that particular solicitation. The listed contact support focused on technical access and linking issues to the announcement through NIH’s Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster resources.
Overall, this funding opportunity targeted the development of enabling biomedical instruments that could have broad downstream impact, prioritizing tool-building that serves many researchers over projects tied to a single disease or organ. It used the R21 exploratory framework, offered modest capped funding per award with no matching requirement, and welcomed applications from a wide range of U.S. organizations while excluding foreign applicants and foreign components.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Instrument Development for Biomedical Applications (R21).
What is the funding opportunity number (FON)?
The funding opportunity number is RFA-GM-13-010.
Which agency and institute offered this opportunity?
This was a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), administered through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
What was the primary purpose of this program?
The program was designed to support innovative, early-stage projects that create new research instruments or significantly improve existing instruments for biomedical research, with an emphasis on enabling or accelerating discovery across many areas of biology and medicine.
What kind of projects were most aligned with the program’s intent?
Projects that focused on inventive instrumentation approaches, moving beyond incremental upgrades, and that could produce tools with the potential to broadly benefit biomedical and clinical research communities.
Was this opportunity focused on answering a specific biological or disease question?
No. The emphasis was on developing the instrument itself (including performance, reliability, and usability), rather than using standard equipment to answer a particular biological question.
What does the program mean by “broad usefulness”?
Proposed tools were expected to be useful to a wide range of biomedical or clinical researchers, rather than being tailored to a single organ system, a specific disease area, or a narrowly defined niche. Reviewers would be looking for instruments that could be generally adopted or adapted across multiple communities, methods, or experimental contexts.
What award mechanism did this program use?
The opportunity used the NIH R21 mechanism, which commonly supports exploratory and developmental research.
What types of development activities fit the R21 mechanism for this opportunity?
Activities such as concept development, prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, and key validation steps to demonstrate feasibility before larger-scale funding would make sense.
What was the funding activity category?
The funding activity category was Health.
What CFDA number was associated with this program?
The CFDA listing associated with the program was 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide non-federal funds to match the award.
How much total funding was estimated for the opportunity?
The opportunity listed an estimated total funding level of $2,000,000.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling was $125,000, meaning individual awards were capped at that amount under the terms of this announcement.
Does the award ceiling mean every applicant should request the maximum amount?
Not necessarily. Applicants were expected to propose a budget that matches the scope and needs of the planned instrument development work, which could include prototyping, engineering effort, testing, and early validation activities appropriate for an R21.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations, including:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- State and local governments (including city/township and county governments)
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- Small businesses
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- U.S. territories or possessions and certain regional organizations
Were mission-serving and community-oriented institutions explicitly included?
Yes. The announcement explicitly included categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations.
Were foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply under this opportunity.
Could a U.S. organization include non-U.S. components in the application?
No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed.
When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on July 25, 2012.
What were the closing dates for submission?
The original closing date was October 30, 2012, and the current closing date was October 31, 2012.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The archive date was November 30, 2012, which indicates the announcement is no longer active for new submissions under that particular solicitation.
Who was listed as the contact for support?
The listed support contact focused on technical access and linking issues related to the announcement through NIH’s Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster resources.
What was the overall goal of the program in practical terms?
To fund early-stage development of enabling biomedical instruments with the potential for broad downstream impact, prioritizing tool-building that could serve many researchers rather than projects tied to a single disease or organ.
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