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S10 Eligibility Finder.

Check if your institution qualifies for NIH S10 Shared Instrumentation Grants. View award history, equipment categories, and peer comparisons — powered by ScienceDex.

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Validated2026-04-09
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When to use

  • Determine if your institution qualifies for NIH S10 Shared Instrumentation Grants
  • Review your institution’s history of S10 awards before preparing a new application
  • Identify which equipment categories have been successfully funded at peer institutions
  • Benchmark your institution against similar organizations for strategic planning
  • Support administrative justification for investing in S10 application preparation

Do not use for

  • As the sole determinant of eligibility — always verify with NIH FOA requirements
  • For non-NIH equipment grants (NSF MRI, DOD DURIP) — different eligibility criteria apply
  • To estimate S10 budget amounts — use the Grant Budget Benchmark tool instead

S10 eligibility is institution-level, not PI-level

Unlike R01s, the S10 is awarded to the institution. The PI is a steward. What matters most is the collective user base — multiple funded investigators who will share the instrument.

Prior S10 awards strengthen your case

Institutions with successful S10 track records signal to reviewers that they can manage shared instrumentation. If your institution has prior awards, reference them in your application.

Equipment categories reveal funding patterns

If your institution has won S10s for microscopy but never for mass spectrometry, a mass spec application is harder to defend unless you demonstrate new demand. The category history helps you pick battles.

Peer institutions are collaboration opportunities

Institutions with similar S10 portfolios may be willing to share expertise on application preparation, instrument selection, or core facility management.

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Method

Eligibility is assessed by matching the queried institution against NIH award records. Institutions with active S10 awards are classified as "eligible." Institutions with substantial NIH research funding but no prior S10 awards are classified as "likely eligible." Equipment categories are extracted from S10 project titles using keyword analysis. Peer institutions are identified by similar NIH funding profiles and geographic proximity. Data sourced from NIH RePORTER (FY 2000–2024).

2

Validated

Last validated 2026-04-09. Calculations are designed for planning and documentation support; verify procurement decisions against manufacturer specifications or institutional SOPs.

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How to cite

How to Cite

ConductScience S10 Eligibility Finder (v1.0). ConductScience, Inc. 2026. Available at: https://conductscience.com/tools/s10-eligibility-finder. Grant data powered by ScienceDex.

NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs. S10 Shared Instrumentation Grant Program. National Institutes of Health, 2024.

NIH RePORTER. Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. National Institutes of Health, 2024.

NIH S10 Program Fundamentals

The NIH S10 Shared Instrumentation Grant program exists to ensure that institutions with active NIH-funded research can acquire and maintain cutting-edge scientific equipment. The program recognizes that modern biomedical research depends on instruments too expensive for individual grants.

• S10 OD028 (Major): Instruments costing >$600K, single award per institution per cycle. • S10 OD025 (Standard): Instruments costing 100K–100K–600K, the most common mechanism. • Shared use requirement: The instrument must serve at least three NIH-funded PIs with distinct projects.

Unlike research grants (R01, R21), S10 does not fund personnel, supplies, or indirect costs beyond equipment installation. The institution must commit to maintenance, training, and a user fee structure that ensures sustainability.

Application success depends on three factors: instrument justification (why this instrument and this vendor), user base strength (number and quality of NIH-funded projects), and institutional commitment (matching funds, space, technical support).

Common S10 Application Mistakes

• Weak user base: Applications with fewer than three strong R01-level users are unlikely to score well. Aim for 5–10 funded investigators with clear need for the instrument. • No institutional commitment letter: Reviewers expect a detailed letter committing maintenance funds, dedicated space, and technical staff. Vague promises hurt. • Wrong mechanism: Requesting a 200KinstrumentthroughtheOD028majormechanism(>200K instrument through the OD028 major mechanism (>600K) wastes reviewer time. Match instrument cost to mechanism. • Duplicate instruments: If your institution already has a similar instrument, you must justify why the existing one is insufficient — age, capacity, capability gaps. • Ignoring the fee structure: S10 reviewers want to see a realistic user fee model that will sustain the instrument after the grant period. Core facilities without fee structures score poorly. • Late vendor quotes: Budget justification requires a detailed vendor quote. Obtaining this takes weeks — start early.

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