The High-Resolution Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (HRNIRS) concept for the Gemini telescopes combines a seeing limited R ~ 70000 cross-dispersed mode and an MCAO-fed near diffraction-limited R ~ 30000 multi-object mode into a single compact instrument operating over the 1 - 5 μm range. The HRNIRS concept was developed in response to proposals issued through the Aspen instrument process by Gemini. Here we review the science drivers and key functional requirements. We present a general overview of the instrument and estimate the limiting performance.
