Equipment Grants 

Please refer programmatic questions to Darrin Akins darrin-akins@ouhsc.edu or Dawn Hammon dhammon@osrhe.edu (405.225.9459).

Key Dates

Anticipated Release/Posted Date:  October, 2018

Application Due Date:  February 18, 2019, 5:00pm

Peer Review Date:  April, 2019

Earliest Anticipated Start Date:  May 1, 2019

Funding Opportunity Description

This funding opportunity announcement issued by OK-INBRE solicits new applications for equipment from Oklahoma undergraduate institutions (see eligible institutions below).  Faculty funded through this program will gain important biomedical research equipment that will enhance their ability to compete for extramural funding beyond the local level.  Equipment Grant awards will be made in two categories, $15,000 for small equipment grants and $25,000 for large equipment grants, to enhance the research infrastructure at the institution.  The applications for Equipment Grants will be subjected to rigorous peer review by experienced biomedical investigators from the comprehensive campuses.

Equipment should be carefully justified.  Funds may be requested for the following: installation costs, alterations of laboratory space, maintenance contracts, operating personnel, operational supplies.

Eligible Faculty 

Full-time, permanent faculty members with the rank of Assistant Professor and higher are eligible to apply for Equipment Grants.  Non-tenure track faculty are eligible for funding with a justification/letter of support from the Chair and the Dean that the institution is providing resources such as lab space and other support for the faculty member to carry out the project.  

Budget and Project Period

Direct costs are limited to $15,000 for small Equipment Grants and $25,000 for large Equipment Grants over the 1 year period (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020, pending INBRE renewal).  Facility and Administrative costs (F&A) are not permitted.

Funds Available

Funding for 2018 is anticipated to support at least four awards, two at a level of $15,000 and two at a level of $25,000.

Application Components

NIH form pages are located at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

1.  PHS398 Form Page 1: Face Page

2.  PHS398 Form Page 2: Summary, Relevance, Project/Performance Sites, Senior/Key Personnel, Other Significant Contributors, and Human Embryonic Stem Cells

3.  PHS398 Form Page 3: Research Grant Table of Contents

4.  PHS398 Form Page 4: Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period (May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2019)

5.  PHS398 Resources Format Page

6.  Research Plan:  

Limited to 4 pages 

Describe how your research program and your institution may benefit from the equipment requested.  Your application should address:

     Scheduling equipment

     Maintenance

     Warranty

     Repairs

     Management

     Justification for choosing specific model

Illustrations or figures may be included in the research plan and will be counted against the 4-page limit

No less than .5 inch margins

No less than 11 point font

7.  Quotes.  Does not count against the 4-page limit.

8.  Other Sources of Funds:  Does not count against the 4-page limit.  Identify other source(s) of funds if required for installation costs, maintenance contracts, operating personnel, and/or operational supplies as appropriate.  Include letters of commitment from funding sources (i.e., Dept. Chairs, Deans, etc.) in an appendix.

9.  Other users.  Does not count against the 4-page limit.  Identify other users of the equipment and describe how they will benefit from the equipment.  Include letters of support from each potential user in an appendix.

10.  References

11. Biographical Sketch.  Applicants must follow the most recent NIH requirements for the NIH biographical sketch located at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/forms-e/general/g.240-r&r-seniorkey-person-profile-(expanded)-form.htm#Instructions

On the biographical sketch, include a list of grant applications submitted for the last three years, irrespective of funding outcome (for PI at primarily undergraduate institution only)

Submission

Submit an electronic copy in a single pdf file (in color if needed) to Dawn Hammon at dhammon@osrhe.edu.  Be sure to route your application through the appropriate grants administration office at your institution. 

The deadline for submitting applications is 5:00 pm on February 12, 2018.   

Review Procedures

Each application will be reviewed for scientific merit by a faculty peer review committee appointed by the OK-INBRE Principal Investigator. The committee will recommend whether or not an application should be considered for funding and rank the proposal according to its scientific merit. This scientific merit review will be based on the following criteria:

1.  Degree of critical need for the equipment.

2.  General significance of the work for which the equipment will be used.

3. Degree to which the equipment will contribute to the research environment of other investigators at the institution in addition to that of the principal investigator. 

Upon completion of the peer review process, each investigator will be provided with the faculty peer review committee critiques. 

Approvals

For selected projects involving human subjects or vertebrate animals, all Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approvals must be secured before the project can begin.  Project titles on the approvals must be identical to the INBRE Equipment Grant title.  Radiation Safety Committee and Institutional Biosafety Committee protocols must also be approved by relevant review committees prior to funding of awards.

Grant administration

The source of funding for the OK-INBRE Program is the National Institutes of Health or the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Therefore, all expenditures must be made in compliance with all applicable federal rules and regulations including Cost Accounting Standards. Award mechanisms will be administered through the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Office of Grants and Contracts Accounting. Questions about grant administration should be addressed to Dawn Hammon at dhammon@osrhe.edu or Dr. Darrin Akins at darrin-akins@ouhsc.edu or 405.225.9459.

Progress reports

Awardees will provide a progress report to the OK-INBRE Principal Investigator.  The report shall include a summary of research progress; extramural funding applications submitted or planned; manuscripts published, submitted, or in preparation; presentations at professional meetings, and other information. Awardees will be furnished with reporting instructions and reminders of report due dates by the OK-INBRE administrative staff in January 2020.

Publications resulting from INBRE-funded awards

NIH requires submission of all final manuscripts to PubMed Central for research funded in whole or in part by the NIH.  The PubMed Central reference number must be included in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports effective May, 2008.   See the NIH website on the Public Access Policy for details (http://publicaccess.nih.gov).

Remaining funds at end of project period

In no instance will remaining project funds be permitted to be carried over to the following INBRE grant year.  No-cost extensions will not be allowed.