Limited Competition: Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NIH funds groups of NIH-supported investigators to buy a single costly specialized commercially available instrument or integrated instrumentation system, for institutions that have not received S10 instrumentation funding of $500,001 or more in the relevant prior three fiscal years.
⚑ Limited competition: institution must not have received S10 instrumentation funding of $500,001 or greater in the relevant preceding 3 federal fiscal years · S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed · Minimum award $25,000; maximum award $350,000 · Foreign organizations, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components are not allowed
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 50 partial | technical depth: substantial; funds construction equipment (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 23 weak | outside portfolio topics; social/behavioral work is minor; funds construction equipment — not a research fit; biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped) |
Description
The Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program encourages applications from groups of NIH-supported investigators to purchase a single piece of new, costly, specialized, commercially available instrument or an integrated instrumentation system. The BIG Program is limited to institutions that have not received S10 instrumentation funding of $500,001 or greater in any of the preceding 3 Federal fiscal years (FY). Use the following to determine applicable funding periods: for submission in CY 2026, consider S10 funding in FYs 2023-2025; for submission in CY 2027, consider S10 funding in FYs 2024-2026; for submission in CY 2028, consider S10 funding in FYs 2025-2027. The minimum award is $25,000. There is no maximum price limit for the instrument; however, the maximum award is $350,000. Instruments supported include, but are not limited to, basic cell sorters, confocal microscopes, ultramicrotomes, gel imagers, or computer systems.
Eligibility
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; 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.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <grantsinfo@nih.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Institutes of Health conventions SEE AN NIH EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Institutes of Health's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.