SUBJECT:             PSOM Limited Application – ORIP Modern Equipment for

                                Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities program

TO:                         School of Medicine Faculty

FROM:                  Katherine L. Nathanson, MD and Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD

                                Co-Chairs, PSOM Limited Applications Selection Committee

DATE:                   October 28, 2021

 

The Perelman School of Medicine has the opportunity to submit one application to the NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) new Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities program (PAR-21-326).

 

Purpose

 

This new program from ORIP is intended to provide support to purchase and install advanced equipment to enhance and modernize research-supporting operations of biomedical research facilities. Targeted are core facilities, animal research facilities, and other research spaces that are used on a shared basis. The goal of this program is to strengthen research-auxiliary activities of biomedical research facilities and to enhance the efficacy of their operation. To ensure proper installation and functioning of the equipment, minor alteration and renovation (A&R) efforts can be included as a small component of the budget.

 

Award Budget

 

Application budgets must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. The maximum award budget is $400,000 of direct costs. Applications with a request of direct costs less than $25,000 will not be considered. For requests of multiple pieces of the same or different equipment, the minimum budget for any given piece is $10,000. Since the scope of different projects will vary, it is anticipated that the size of the awards will vary. A&R support for minor projects may be included, if applicable, but shall not exceed 15% of the equipment costs (after educational discount is applied) or $40,000 whichever is smaller.  Personnel costs are limited to the PD/PI only and are applicable to the cases when A&R support is justified. The PI’s effort level should be commensurate with the scope of the A&R project and is expected not to exceed 0.36-person month.

 

Award Period

 

The total project period may not exceed one year. Funds will be provided in a single award with an up to 12-month budget and project period.

 

Eligibility (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

 

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.  The PD/PI does not need to have an NIH research grant or any other research support. The PD/PI may be a core or an animal research facility director, tenured, or non-tenured faculty member of the applicant organization. The PD/PI must be affiliated with the applicant organization and must be registered on eRA Commons. Typically, the PD/PI will be a scientist with a leadership role in overseeing or managing the shared-use facility and relevant scientific or technical expertise (documented in the biographical sketch) related to the requested technology.

 

Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed under this FOA.  Applications that propose or involve clinical trials are not allowed.  This program does not support the acquisition of scientific research instruments that acquire experimental data.

 

PSOM Review and Selection Process

 

The Perelman School of Medicine will oversee the final review and selection of the nominees. Faculty with a primary appointment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) must apply through CHOP.

 

Each candidate must submit the following:

• Cover page with candidate’s name, academic rank, department, email address, phone number and campus address, month and year of appointment to Penn faculty
• Research Statement: The research statement should describe why the equipment is important and outline the general goals for the next five years. The statement should also indicate, in general, how funds will be used. This does not need to be a detailed budget and will not be binding on the actual use of funds. The research statement is limited to 1,400 words (maximum two pages of text, prepared in 12 point font with 1 inch margins). If there are relevant figures, images or references, please include these separately on a third page.
• CV including educational background, professional appointments, awards and honors, publications, and current and pending funding with award amounts

 

Applicants are encouraged to review the full funding opportunity announcement: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-326.html

 

Submission should be in a single pdf file in the following order: cover page, letter of nomination, research statement, CV. 

 

The pdf document should be titled as follows: BRF__InvestigatorSurname_Investigator first name. For example: BRF_Doe_Jane. 

 

Materials must be submitted to Kaitlyn Hagarty at kaitlyn.hagarty@pennmedicine@upenn.edu by 9:00 AM, November 1, 2021.  Questions can be directed to Kaitlyn Hagarty at kaitlyn.hagarty@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.