The National Institutes of Health (NIH) High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program supports NIH-funded institutions in purchasing or upgrading sophisticated research instruments crucial for biomedical or biobehavioral research. This program, administered by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), focuses on shared, high-cost instruments that are inaccessible without federal support. Awarded funds range from a minimum of $750,001 to a maximum of $2 million, covering the purchase of a single high-end, commercially available instrument or an integrated system. This grant excludes clinical trials, and eligible instruments include mass spectrometers, MRI imagers, electron microscopes, and other advanced biomedical research tools.

The primary objective of the HEI program is to enhance research capabilities by providing state-of-the-art equipment for NIH-supported projects, facilitating breakthroughs in both basic and applied biomedical sciences. Applicants can request funding to acquire innovative and integrated systems that merge multiple scientific and technological disciplines, with the requirement that such systems must be warranted by manufacturers. These instruments must be dedicated exclusively to research; exceptions are possible only in cases of Special Use Instruments (SUI), where institutions demonstrate shared use for non-biomedical purposes and commit a minimum of 50% of the instrument’s usage to biomedical research. Proposals may seek foreign-manufactured instruments and must ensure all equipment is accessible on a shared basis to optimize usage.

Eligible applicants include higher education institutions (public and private), nonprofit organizations, and certain federally designated institutions, like Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Each application must identify a qualified Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) with expertise in the requested instrument and designate a user group with at least three NIH-funded major users who each have distinct NIH research awards and require the instrument for at least 75% of its accessible usage time (AUT). Additional NIH or non-NIH funded users may also benefit from the instrument as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment.

Applications must be submitted via ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional submission systems, following detailed NIH guidelines. A comprehensive application includes an Instrumentation Plan that outlines the research need, technical expertise, user projects, and an operational and financial management plan. Essential attachments include itemized vendor quotes with warranties and documentation on institutional support for the instrument's long-term maintenance. Annual usage reports and a final report documenting the instrument’s impact on research outcomes are required for up to four years post-award.

Review criteria emphasize the instrument’s necessity for advancing biomedical research, technical capability, and institutional support for effective instrument management and user training. Reviewers assess the proposed projects’ potential to advance scientific knowledge and evaluate the justification for requested features or accessories. Financial and managerial plans are scrutinized for sustainability, while an advisory committee provides oversight of instrument use and policy development to ensure equitable access among users.

The application cycle opens on May 2, 2025, with submission deadlines on June 2 annually through 2027. Scientific merit reviews occur in October, followed by advisory reviews in January, and earliest funding begins the following February. Compliance with federal and NIH policies, including the NIH Grants Policy Statement, is mandatory, as is registration in SAM, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons for institutions and individuals. Institutions may submit multiple applications, provided each is scientifically unique and addresses distinct research needs.