Purpose

Under DRPP Specific Aim 3A, PR-INBRE (NIH/NIGMS P20GM103475) supports the research infrastructure of network primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). Small Instrumentation Grants fund equipment that removes a specific bottleneck in biomedical research or research training and complements, rather than duplicates, the PR-INBRE core facilities.

Eligibility

Full-time faculty at a network PUI: UPR Mayagüez, UPR Cayey, UPR Humacao, UAGM Gurabo, UAGM Carolina, UAGM Cupey, and Inter American University Metro Campus. Priority goes to current or past DRPP investigators and to instruments shared by two or more laboratories. One application per investigator.

Award Information

• Up to $25,000 per award, one-time and non-renewable.
• Funds may cover instrument purchase, shipping, installation, and up to one year of service contract. Personnel, supplies, and indirect costs are not allowed.
• Equipment must be ordered within 90 days of award and installed by August 31, 2027.

Timeline

Required Documents

• Cover page with instrument name, PI, institution, and total cost
• Justification (3 pages): research need, projects and users served, student training impact, and why core facilities cannot meet the need
• Vendor quotation(s) and itemized budget
• List of primary and secondary users with current and pending support
• NIH Biosketch of the PI
• Institutional commitment letter from the department chair or dean covering space, utilities, and maintenance after the first year
• Instrument sharing and management plan

Formatting

Arial 11 point, 0.5-inch margins, single-spaced. Submit one PDF.

Review Process and Criteria

Applications are reviewed by the DRPP Director, the CRI Core Director, and one external reviewer. Each is scored 1-9 (lower is better) on:

• Need and Impact: how the instrument advances biomedical research and NIH competitiveness at the PUI.
• Use and Sharing: number of users, students trained, and the sharing plan.
• Institutional Commitment: long-term support for operation and maintenance.

Contacts

Program information and updates: http://inbre.hpcf.upr.edu/. For projects involving omics data or statistics, consult the PR-INBRE Bioinformatics Resource Core (Dr. Humberto Ortiz) before submission. To use core services, contact the Centralized Research Instrumentation (CRI) Core Director, Dr. Carmen Cadilla (carmen.cadilla@upr.edu), and include a letter of collaboration from the cognizant core director.