Request for SD INBRE Research Match Core Applications (RFA) for 2025-26

SD INBRE Research match Core (RMC) Performance Sites are available for use by any institution, including institutions in South Dakota, in other IDeA states, and in non-IDeA states.  The RMC Research Support Application process allows the RMC Approval Committee to oversee SD INBRE Performance Sites and manage use of SD INBRE resources.   

Information regarding SD INBRE RMC performance sites can be found at www.sdbrin.org.

Priority Deadline for RMC Research Funding Support is March 15, 2025

Eligibility for RMC Funding: 

This RFA is for support funds to use the RMC performance sites that focus on Proteomics, Genetics/Genomics, the Tissue Engineering and Cell Culture Laboratory (TECCL), and Bioinformatics resources.  

Eligible faculty are those whose role in SD INBRE is as a Student Research Program (SRP) mentor, or who are faculty at a participating SD INBRE partner institution with NIH-fundable research objectives, and who lack extramural funding.

Budgets for RMC Research Support: Core budget requests for research projects, including those projects that are covering costs for supplies, sample processing, and associated faculty and student travel to work at performance sites must also be submitted for approval each year. This process allows our faculty and core leaders to work together to request RMC funds that will support their research projects. This model incentivizes the development of projects that use faculty, students, and personnel and equipment from performance sites in innovative ways. Projects that leverage RMC personnel and equipment to maintain year-round productivity will be prioritized.  

Applications for RMC Research Support: RMC Research Support funds are being provided to advance SD INBRE projects for faculty that work with students in the SRP.  SD INBRE faculty in the DRPP track are expected to propose their plans for core use in their DRPP proposals, and not through the RMC funding mechanism.   Individuals that are applying for RMC Research Support will work with the Proteomics, Genetics/Genomics, and/or TECCL performance site leader(s) to develop the experimental plan, timeline for the work, and an estimate of the cost for their research project.  Applicants should also meet with the Bioinformatics Performance Site Leader to discuss any potential bioinformatics workflows that are needed. 

If equipment or personnel are not available at an SD INBRE Performance Site, the applicant will meet with the RMC Director to determine whether a resource is available at either an IDeA-funded site in South Dakota (i.e., SD COBRE), an IDeA-funded core in a different state, or a core in a non-IDeA state. Justification for the use of resources in other IDeA states and non-IDeA states must be provided in the RMC Research Support application, with a description of how SD INBRE and SD COBRE resources are not adequate for the proposed work. This application process will be required for all RMC Research Support projects, including those projects that are directed by researchers that are not mentors in SD INBRE. Researchers that are not SD INBRE mentors include those researchers who are supported by SD COBRE and IDeA programs in other states, as well as non-IDeA-supported investigators who want to use SD INBRE Performance Sites. 

Three tracks of RMC Research Support exists for projects: 

 1) Track 1 Single-core usage projects: One-year projects that propose using a single core.

 2) Track 2 Multiple-core usage projects: One-year projects that propose using 2 or more core resources.

 3) Track 3 Comprehensive-core usage projects: These projects will propose use of 3 or more research core resources in a sequential and/or collective manner over a period of 1-2 years. Track 3 proposals must describe how samples will be processed and transferred through different performance sites, including estimated shipping costs. The Bioinformatics Core resources are recommended to be used to analyze the data that is collected in these interactive Track 3 projects.

Application and selection process:

Formatting and review: All applications will be submitted using 11 point Arial font with 0.5” margins on all sides. 

RMC Proposals will include the following.

Specific Aims (1 page): Include statement of hypothesis, rationale for the research project, specific aims, and impact of the research.

Research Strategy (2 pages): Clearly indicate which Track the application is targeting and describe how the RMC Performance Site(s) will be used to achieve research goals.  This description should specifically describe the equipment and personnel that will be available at the RMC Performance Site to advance the project over the 12-month funding period.  When appropriate, include a description of how resources of the Administrative Core (AC) and Data Science Core (DSC) will be used along with the RMC resources that are proposed.  A timeline detailing a 12-month research plan must be included in this section.  This includes a description of how RMC resources will be used to maintain data collection, processing, and analysis during both summer and academic months.  The interaction between students and RMC Performance Site Leaders must also be described.  

Resources available through the AC, DSC, and RMC include the following:

AC resources: RFx submission software, budget management personnel, DPx reporting software (for annual reports), and resources for preparing grants for submission to external funding agencies.

DSC resources: online data storage, data analysis, and data management that will be used to ensure that all members of the research team have year-round access to relevant data.  Support for open-access publication of SD INBRE-supported projects. 

RMC resources: equipment and personnel that are related to proteomics, genetics/genomics, bioinformatics, and tissue engineering/cell culture. 

Budget with justification: Funds can be used to pay for supplies and RMC Performance Site personnel needed to process samples at an RMC Performance Site.  Travel for students and faculty to receive training and process samples at an RMC Performance Site can also be requested.  Shipping costs to transport samples between host labs and RMC Performance Sites are allowed.  However, faculty salary and salary for personnel (undergraduate student, research associate, graduate student, or post-doctoral fellow) is not allowed through the RMC Research Support mechanism.  RMC funds cannot be used to purchase equipment that costs greater than $5,000 for an RMC Performance site. 

Assurances: Projects involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, biohazards, and select agents will include appropriate assurances and adhere to NIH guidelines regarding these types of research projects.

Review of RMC Research Support Applications

Applications will be reviewed by the RMC Approval Committee and ranked based on scientific merit, alignment with SD INBRE goals and objectives, and priority. As part of the review process, the committee will identify projects that 1) are likely to produce a direct scientific product (manuscript or grant application), 2) propose the potential for multiple years of use of Performance Sites, and 3) propose year-round use of core equipment and personnel. Projects that are directed by researchers who are not SD INBRE mentors will be considered and placed on the priority list. An expectation exists that faculty who are not SD INBRE mentors will cover some or all of the cost of sample processing, and the RMC Director will negotiate costs for these projects. The priority list will be submitted to the AC as a request for budget allocation in the upcoming grant year.  

Application timeline for 2025-26:

February 14, 2025: Application posted in RFx.

March 15, 2025: Priority deadline for applications in RFx (rolling deadline after March 15).

Please direct any questions regarding eligibility and applications to:

Cyndi Anderson, PhD

SD INBRE PC and Chair of the RMC Approval Committee

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, SD

E-mail: cynthiaanderson@bhsu.edu

Victor C. Huber, PhD

SD INBRE PD/PI

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

E-mail: victor.huber@usd.edu