NIMH Instrumentation Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA MH 22 155

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 22 155

The NIMH Instrumentation Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-22-155, is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity administered by the National Institute of Mental Health under CFDA 93.242. It is a reissue of an earlier announcement (RFA-MH-20-555) and is designed to strengthen the research capabilities of NIMH-relevant, NIH-funded investigators by supporting the purchase or upgrade of major scientific instruments. The program focuses on enabling investigators to access high-end, specialized equipment that is either commercially available as a single instrument or can be assembled from a group of components to create a unique instrument configuration that is not otherwise sold as an off-the-shelf product. In practical terms, this is an infrastructure and capacity-building mechanism rather than a traditional research project grant, and it is specifically marked as "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the award is not intended to support or run clinical trial activities.

The types of equipment that fit the intent of this program are major research instruments that meaningfully expand or modernize an institution's ability to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and neuroscience research aligned with NIMH priorities. The announcement explicitly lists examples such as light microscopes, electron microscopes, spectrophotometers, and biomedical imaging systems, reflecting an emphasis on sophisticated tools that can serve multiple projects and users. The underlying idea is that high-cost instrumentation can be a bottleneck for research productivity and innovation, and this program aims to relieve that bottleneck by helping NIH-supported research teams obtain or upgrade equipment that would otherwise be difficult to acquire through standard project budgets.

Eligibility is broad across many U.S.-based organizational types, including state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and a range of nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not foreign entities). The opportunity also lists additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. For-profit organizations other than small businesses and small businesses are also included among eligible applicant types, which indicates NIMH is open to a variety of institutional structures as long as the proposed instrument investment supports NIH-funded investigators and meets NIH policy requirements.

At the same time, the FOA is clear about restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In other words, the applicant organization and the instrumentation activity must be grounded within the United States and its eligible jurisdictions, without routing key work, installation, or supported activities through foreign components.

Key administrative details include an original closing date of 2024-10-09, with the opportunity created on 2022-01-24. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is Health. The listing shows an Award Ceiling field but does not provide a value in the source data you shared, and the Expected Awards field is also not populated there, so applicants would need to consult the full FOA and NIH guidance for any cap, cost-sharing expectations (if any), and the anticipated number of awards. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted NIH/NIMH mechanism to improve shared research infrastructure by funding major instrumentation purchases or upgrades that directly enhance the capacity of NIH-supported investigators to carry out high-quality mental health and neuroscience research, without supporting clinical trial execution.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIMH Instrumentation Program (S10 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA MH 22 155

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