Funding Initiatives through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

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Looking for funding opportunities through the Recovery Act? NIH has created a Web site that consolidates Recovery Act-specific initiatives for your convenience. These opportunities, also published on Grants.gov and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, can be easily identified by the titles that begin with “Recovery Act.” The following initiatives have already been published. More will be coming in the near future.

The NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research (RC1) seeks out research that will focus on specific knowledge gaps, scientific opportunities, new technologies, data generation, or particular research methods. Research plans submitted with the application must articulate how the proposed studies will significantly extend our understanding of biomedical or behavioral science and/or health through its work in the particular Challenge Area. The total program funding is approximately $200,000,000 with an award ceiling of $500,000 per year.

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) has crafted three programs to support renovation and repair of core facilities, research facility improvements, and the acquisition of high-end instrumentation.

The Core Facility Renovation, Repair, and Improvement Program (G20) provides support for the alteration and renovation of core facilities, as well as for the improvement of general equipment in the core facility or for the purchase of general equipment for specialized groups of researchers. These renovated facilities and next generation of instruments should speed the translation of basic research to treatments and cures. “Green” technologies and design approaches will be employed when possible. The Recovery Act appropriated $1.0B to construct, repair, or renovate existing non-Federal research facilities, and $300M for shared instrumentation and other capital research equipment. The expected direct cost amount for individual awards under this FOA is between $1M and $10M.

The Extramural Research Facilities Improvement Program (C06) will help institutions expand, remodel, renovate, or alter biomedical or behavioral research venues. The principle objective of this program is to facilitate and enhance the conduct of Public Health Supported research by supporting the costs of designing and improving facilities. The expected direct cost for individual awards under this FOA is between $2 million and $15 million. [Information updated 3/31/09]

The High-end Instrumentation Grant Program (S10) encourages groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase a single major item of equipment to be used for biomedical research that costs from $600,000 to $8,000,000 provided that these funds will be expended within 18-24 months from the date of the award. NCRR intends to commit approximately $160M in FY2010 to fund approximately 40 new awards.

Stay tuned for notices on the availability of a variety of revisions, administrative supplements, and other Recovery Act funding initiatives to be published in the very near future!