health · HHS-NIH11

Seed Instrumentation Support (SIS) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-021

675 days left

Award Range

$50K – $400K

Deadline

July 1, 2028

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

NIH's Seed Instrumentation Support (SIS) Program funds the purchase of a single research instrument ($50K-$400K) for institutions that DON'T currently have that instrument. This is about building NEW research capacity — buying your first confocal microscope, mass spectrometer, or sequencer to open up research directions you couldn't previously pursue. The instrument must be shared among multiple NIH-funded investigators at your institution.

Who Should Apply

Universities, medical centers, research institutions, and nonprofits with NIH-funded investigators who need a specific instrument that doesn't currently exist at their institution. The instrument must be shared among at least 3 NIH-funded 'major users.'

Who Should NOT Apply

Institutions that already own the instrument (even if it's old), individual PIs wanting their own dedicated equipment, foreign organizations, or institutions without active NIH-funded research programs.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must be purchasing an instrument NOT currently available at the institution
•Instrument must be commercially available (no custom builds)
•Must be shared among multiple NIH-funded investigators (minimum 3 major users)
•Must demonstrate how the instrument enables new research directions
•Foreign organizations ineligible
•No cost-sharing required

💡 GrantQuick Tip

The key word is 'seed' — this is for instruments you DON'T have, not upgrades of existing ones. NIH reviewers will check whether your institution already owns something similar. Your strongest argument is: 'We have 5 NIH-funded PIs who currently send samples to other institutions because we lack this instrument. Having it in-house will save time, reduce costs, and enable pilot studies that lead to new R01 applications.' Quantify the demand with letters from each major user describing their research needs.

Competitiveness: Moderate — rolling deadline (open through 2028), no fixed number of awards. Primarily limited by NIH budget. Well-justified applications with strong user demand typically succeed.

What This Grant Funds

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) aims to build new research capacity and develop a sustainable research program by supporting the purchase of a single commercially available biomedical research instrument currently unavailable in the institution. Instruments funded through this program must be shared among the users to create new research opportunities, enable reproducible data generation, encourage collaborative research and training, and strengthen long-term research capabilities. The minimum award is $50,000. While there is no limit on the total cost of the instrument, the maximum award is $400,000.

Attachments

PDF

PAR-27-021-Full-Announcement.html

Who Can Apply

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/Foreign Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) 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.

Eligible Applicant Types

City/Township GovernmentsSmall BusinessesNonprofits without 501(c)(3)Private Colleges & UniversitiesIndependent School DistrictsOther Tribal OrganizationsCounty GovernmentsPublic Colleges & UniversitiesPublic And Indian Housing AuthoritiesFor-Profit OrganizationsOther (see NOFO for details)Federally Recognized Tribal GovernmentsState Governments501(c)(3) NonprofitsSpecial District Governments

Funding Details

Minimum Award: $50K
Maximum Award: $400K
Cost Sharing Required?: No
Funding Instrument: grant

Key Dates

Posted: June 25, 2026

Application Deadline: July 1, 2028 (675 days remaining)

Agency Contact

Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) odsig@mail.nih.gov

odsig@mail.nih.gov

Ready to apply?

View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov

View on Grants.gov