Limited Competition: NIGMS Mature Synchrotron Resources (MSR) for Structural Biology (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, is offering the Limited Competition: NIGMS Mature Synchrotron Resources (MSR) for Structural Biology (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed), funding opportunity PAR-27-068. NIGMS supports basic research that advances understanding of biological processes and provides foundations for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This limited competition continues support for mature synchrotron resources that provide user access to X-ray beamlines and synchrotron-based techniques for static and dynamic imaging of biological systems ranging from molecules to organs. Mature technologies must be well established, stable, useful to their research communities, and require minimal novel technology development. Supported resources must provide state-of-the-art instrumentation, user support and training in data collection, processing, and analysis, and access for biomedical researchers whose projects are vetted through peer review. Funding may support resource administration, technology implementation such as instrumentation incorporation or replacement, process refinement, methods improvement, software development that optimizes operations, service-related technology development, service support, user training, and outreach. Technology development directly advancing service objectives may be proposed, but early-stage technology development research is not supported. Funds may not be requested for alteration and renovation or direct support of Resource users' research projects. Application budgets are not limited but must reflect actual project needs, and support for up to five years may be requested. Cost sharing is not required. Each Mature Synchrotron Resource must contain one Administration component, one User Training and Outreach component, and one or more Technology Operations Cores. Resources are expected to serve a broad biomedical user base, including investigators at different career stages, students and postdoctoral researchers, investigators throughout the country, and researchers from different types of institutions. Eligible applicant organization types include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses and other for-profit organizations, state, county, city or township, special district, and tribal governments, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, independent school districts, public or Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, faith-based or community-based organizations, and regional organizations. However, this is a limited competition: applicants must request support for existing synchrotron resources currently supported by NIGMS funding, and resources whose NIGMS funding ended more than 36 months before the application due date cannot be supported. Foreign organizations, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components are not eligible. Applications must follow the NIH Multi-Project application instructions and the program-specific requirements in the NOFO. Applicants must use NIH ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system solution for submission through Grants.gov, with tracking through eRA Commons. Required registrations must be completed before submission. The application includes an Overall component, Administration Core, at least one Technology Operations Core, and User Training and Outreach component. Required materials include project summaries and narratives, specific aims and research strategies, budgets and justifications, senior and key personnel information, resource sharing information, publications enabled by the Resource, user forms, External Advisory Committee information when applicable, representative user research projects, plans for operations, maintenance, improvements, training, outreach, metrics, contingency planning, and other component-specific materials. A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable to this NOFO. NIH peer review will assess overall impact and the scored criteria of Significance, Investigators, Innovation, Approach, and Environment. Reviewers will examine demonstrated user demand, scientific impact and productivity, geographic distribution of users, management experience, access to important biomedical technologies, coherent integration of components, safe and fair user access, maintenance and contingency planning, institutional support, and the adequacy of experimental stations and user interfaces. Separate component scores will address Administration, each Technology Operations Core, and User Training and Outreach. Funding decisions will additionally consider scientific and technical merit, availability of funds, relevance to program priorities and NIGMS funding policies, geographic distribution of users, and increased national access to important synchrotron-based technologies. The opportunity was posted August 31, 2026, and the earliest submission date is September 2, 2026. Applications for the first cycle are due October 2, 2026 by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. Additional published due dates are October 1, 2027 and October 2, 2028, indicating annual application cycles during the life of this NOFO. The corresponding first-cycle scientific merit review is expected in March 2027, Advisory Council review in May 2027, and the earliest start date is July 2027. Later cycles identify reviews in March and May of the following years and earliest starts in July. The NOFO expires October 3, 2028. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIGMS scientific or research staff early while developing an application, particularly to discuss the proposed Resource budget. The scientific and research contact is the MSR P30 Mailbox at MSRP30Mailbox@nih.gov. The financial and grants management contact is the NIGMS BBCB GAB NOFO mailbox at NIGMSBBCBGABNOFO@nih.gov. Peer review contact information is provided through the applicant's eRA Commons account approximately two weeks after the submission due date. Applications proposing clinical trials or research objectives not aligned with the mission of the participating NIH Institute or Center are not responsive and will not be reviewed.

Demonstrate strong user demand, scientific impact, productivity, and geographic reach; show that the Resource increases national access to important synchrotron technologies; provide fair and straightforward user access; document adequate maintenance and contingency planning; keep technologies state of the art through justified implementation rather than unsupported early-stage development; integrate Administration, Technology Operations, and User Training and Outreach into a coherent Resource; ensure the budget and project period are fully justified and reasonable.