The College of Medicine is launching the COM Equipment Catalyst Program to accelerate acquisition of advanced research instruments that strengthen our shared infrastructure and support cutting-edge biomedical research.
We invite faculty to submit brief concept pitches for major equipment or shared instrumentation needs that could form the basis of competitive external grant applications (focusing on NIH S10, but could be applicable to NSF MRI, or similar mechanisms).
We will use concept pitches to evaluate key equipment needs in the college and form teams if multiple groups are interested in similar equipment. Selected teams will receive centralized support to develop full proposals, including:
- Guidance on mechanism fit and eligibility
- Help identifying and organizing user groups
- Assistance obtaining vendor quotes and technical documentation
- Expert feedback on proposal drafts
- Coordination of institutional commitment and support letters
Please submit a 1-2 page concept paper addressing the following:
- What do you need? itemize desired equipment, including a quote if you have one or a reasonable estimate of price if you do not have a quote
- Why is this needed? brief narrative of the need and a description of how the new equipment would fit into the current UF context (is this new for our campus? etc)
- Who will use this equipment? have you identified specific users and if so, who are they?
- Where will the equipment be housed? Do you have a plan for maintenance of the instrument? (if known)
- Please describe your plan for shared user access.
The goal is to identify the most impactful instrumentation opportunities within the College of Medicine, strengthen proposals through a coordinated process, and increase success in external equipment funding competitions.
Full details on the call for concept pitches can be found at the InfoReady link below. The deadline date is set to December 15, 2025 but is rolling.
If you have any questions, please contact Katie Blackburn katherineblackbu@ufl.edu.