Research Equipment Reserve Fund (RERF)

Competitive Research Equipment Reserve Fund Application Process 

Competitive Research Equipment Reserve Funds (RERF) may be used to acquire, repair, renovate, or improve equipment directly used for research. The equipment may be inventoried capital equipment (defined as =>$5,000 per unit) or fabricated capitalized equipment.

• Note that RERF equipment awards will be dispensed on a cost-reimbursable basis.
• 2026 Update: Upon accepting the internal equipment award, the Principal Investigator (PI) agrees to establish a fee structure that recovers allowable operating expenses and equipment depreciation in compliance with institutional and federal cost principles. Recouping these expenses is essential to ensure the sustainability of the Research Equipment Reserve Fund (RERF) program for future investments. If the collected fees are insufficient to cover allowable operating expenses and depreciation, the PI’s responsible unit/college/department will be required to pay those fees.
• For information about research equipment fees and operations, please visit the Research Equipment & Lab Management System web page.

Timeline

• RERF applications due – March 27, 2026
• Review process begins in April
• Award announcements in early May

Eligibility

The Principal Investigator (PI) is the person responsible for the intellectual leadership of a project; accepts overall responsibility for directing the research/technical scope of the project and the financial oversight of the award's funding, and is compliant with relevant university policies and terms and conditions of the award.

Individuals can only be listed as key personnel on one submission per solicitation cycle.

• Any faculty listed as a PI or Co-I on one application, cannot be listed as a PI or Co-I on a different application during this cycle.
• Professorial faculty members with the rank of instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor are eligible to serve as PI.
• Professional faculty with the appropriate level of authority to oversee research equipment on campus are eligible to serve as PI.
• Faculty with courtesy, affiliate, or adjunct appointments may serve as Co-Investigator (Co-I) only.
• Research Associates, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible to serve as PI or Co-I.

For proposals listing multiple users, including Co-Is, the PI will provide a list of individuals who have a need for the equipment being sought in the proposal (preferably with a commitment of matching funds).

• PIs and Co-Is may receive an award from the RERF program only one time in a 24-month period. Previous RERF awards.
• PIs and Co-Is who apply after the 24-month period are only eligible if the required final report(s) from the previous Division of Research and Innovation Incentive Programs has been submitted.

Award Information

• Anticipated Total Budget for 2026: around $500,000
• Maximum Award Request to the Division for Research and Innovation per application: $500,000
• Note that RERF equipment awards will be dispensed on a cost-reimbursable basis.
• Applicants will be notified via email of award decisions.
• Upon accepting the internal equipment award, the Principal Investigator (PI) agrees to establish a fee structure that recovers allowable operating expenses and equipment depreciation in compliance with institutional and federal cost principles. Recouping these expenses is essential to ensure the sustainability of the Research Equipment Reserve Fund (RERF) program for future investments. If the collected fees are insufficient to cover allowable operating expenses and depreciation, the PI’s responsible organization will be required to pay those fees.

Matching Funds

Matching funds must be provided according to the rate table outlined below. Note that funds originating from the Division for Research and Innovation (e.g., capital equipment start-up funds) cannot be used as a source of the required match. Also, note that any maintenance costs beyond the warranty period identified in the purchase agreement, building modifications, and training are not eligible for support from the RERF funds, nor should the matching funds be designated as supporting these activities.

Grant funding may be used for matching funds, but RERF money may not replace funds originally budgeted in the grant to purchase the requested piece of equipment. Note that grant funds contracted through DOE National Laboratories and some types of EPA Cooperative Agreements may not be used as matching funds. These organizations retain ownership of equipment purchased with their funds, even if their investment is only a minor contribution to the overall purchase price.

Resubmissions

Resubmitted proposals must be accompanied by a letter, not to exceed 150 words, explaining how the reviewers' comments from the previous submission have been addressed.

Budget Items Eligible for Support

• Inventoried capital equipment (defined as =>$5,000 per unit)
• Fabricated capitalized equipment (Signed OSU Fabricated Equipment Unit Pre-Approval Form is required, if applicable)
• Shipping and installation (if those items are listed on the original invoice)

See a list of equipment funded by RERF in prior years.

Budget items not eligible for support

• New equipment that has been previously purchased, encumbered, ordered or is already on-site.
• Software (regardless of cost) that is not an integral component of an instrument. That is, if the software is invoiced separately from an instrument or appears on an invoice as a separate line item with a unit cost associated with it, RERF funds cannot be used to pay the invoice. (In most cases, software (excluding the operating system if it is included in the base price for the system) and peripherals (i.e., printers, plotters, scanners) cannot be purchased using RERF funds unless the individual peripheral fits within the definition of "capital equipment").
• Construction and building renovations (i.e., fume hoods, permanent lab benches)
• Improvements Other Than Building (IOTB). Examples of IOTB might include concrete pads to be used as storage or staging areas, installation of fencing (chain link enclosures), and construction of flumes or similar experimental structures.
• Labor costs to set up or build an instrument or piece of equipment. If the investigator is proposing to build an instrument or piece of equipment, RERF funds cannot be used to cover labor costs, nor can labor costs be used to meet the matching requirement of the RERF program. The one exception to this rule occurs when an organizational unit has a billing mechanism that allows that unit to develop an audit trail identifying those hours and dollars spent specifically on the construction task. Most units at OSU do not have the accounting mechanisms set up to accomplish this.
• Training costs associated with learning how to operate or use the new equipment.

Review Procedure

The Division of Research and Innovation (RDI) Office for Research Advancement reviews all proposals for eligibility. Those requests that qualify are reviewed by up to three independent Research Council members. Proposals will be prioritized for discussion by the Research Council based on initial review scores. The PI and Co-Is may be contacted for further information. The proposals will be discussed and scored by the entire Research Council anonymously. The scores will be shared with the Core Facilities Committee, which will provide a prioritized list of recommendations for funding to the Vice President for Research and Innovation, based on the quality of the proposals as reflected in the the evaluation criteria. The Vice President for Research and Innovation will make all final award decisions based on the recommendations and available funds.

Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers will be asked to provide a summary recommendation for each proposal consisting of:

• High priority for funding
• Support if funds are available, or
• Not recommended for funding

In addition, reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

• Supported research base: Is the research that will be supported by the proposed equipment described? Is a broad range of research projects or programs supported by the equipment? Will the acquisition of the proposed equipment generate or support truly high impact research? Would the equipment support the work of multiple investigators with active research programs?
• Research impact and future funding potential: Does the acquisition of this equipment:
  • maintain or enhance research productivity or open new directions in research?
  • attract further sponsored research?
  • provide leverage for future proposals?

  • Is the proposed fee structure realistic and does the college/unit agree to cover any yearly operating and depreciation costs that are not covered by fees?

• Need for equipment: Is this the appropriate instrument to meet the needs of the applicants? Is there a lack of available comparable or near-comparable capabilities on campus? If similar equipment is available, are there circumstances preventing the equipment from being used for the proposed research?
• Team: Does the PI team have the technical competence and support to accomplish the proposed work and maintain the proposed acquisition?

Application Procedure

The RERF application to the Office for Research Advancement is comprised of three components:

• the application form in the Infoready portal
• the budget form
• the proposal narrative and supporting documents, including a letter from the responsible unit agreeing to cover the yearly depreciation expenses if they cannot be recouped in fees.

Details about these components are provided in the full instructions.

Note: At first login of the InfoReady portal, please create an account with your ONID email. User guides are available on the associated Home page. Questions on InfoReady can be submitted to [email protected].

Other Resources:

• Excellent resource:  Equipment Cost Share Budget Form - download as an Excel document  - developed jointly by several colleges to help PI's figure out the matching funds budget.
• If you are unable to access the application instructions and/or application form, contact Office for Research Advancement Incentive Programs at our email [email protected].
• If you are having any difficulty using the submission forms, please email the complete PDF file with supporting documentation to [email protected] 

Final Reports Requirements

Award recipients (PIs and Co-Is) are required to submit a final report within 12 months from the award start date.

Award recipients (PIs and Co-Is) who fail to submit the required final report will be ineligible to receive future funding from the Division of Research and Innovation Incentive Programs.

The final report will be submitted through InfoReady and should contain the following information:

1. A brief statement describing how the RERF funds were expended.
2. A short description of the impact the funding had on scholarly work and/or the activities made possible as a result of RERF funding.

Submit the final report through the InfoReady portal or submit electronically to the Office for Research Advancement at [email protected]

For More Information

Contact Division of Research and Innovation Incentive Programs at [email protected].