Notices of Funding Opportunities

In this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) we seek applications through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for the optimization of existing and emerging technologies and approaches including 1) technologies and novel approaches for large scale recording and manipulation of neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain, 2) tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. This FOA is intended for the iterative refinement of emergent technologies and approaches that have already demonstrated their transformative potential through initial proof-of-concept testing, and are appropriate for accelerated development with an end-goal of broad dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience practice.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage applications to pursue translational and clinical studies for recording and/or stimulating devices to treat nervous system disorders and better understand the human brain. The program will utilize a cooperative agreement mechanism to support the submission of an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for a Significant Risk (SR) study or obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a Non-Significant Risk (NSR) study, and a subsequent small clinical study (e.g., Early Feasibility Study). The small clinical study should provide data to answer key questions about the function or final design of a device.This final device design may require most, if not all, of the non-clinical testing on the path to more advanced clinical trials and market approval. The clinical study is expected to provide information that cannot be practically obtained through additional nonclinical assessments (e.g., bench top or animal studies) due to the novelty of the device or its intended use. Activities supported in this program include implementation of clinical prototype devices, non-clinical safety and efficacy testing, design verification and validation activities, and pursuit of regulatory approval for, and implementation of, a single small clinical study.

The purpose of this FOA is to encourage applications to pursue a small clinical study to obtain critical information necessary to advance recording and/or stimulating devices to treat central nervous system disorders and better understand the human brain (e.g., Early Feasibility Study).Clinical studies supported may consist of acute or short-term procedures that are deemed Non-Significant Risk (NSR) by an Institutional Review Board, or Significant Risk (SR) studies that require an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA, such as chronic implants.The clinical study should provide data to answer key questions about the function or final design of a device.This final device design may require most, if not all, of the non-clinical testing on the path to more advanced clinical trials and market approval. The clinical study is expected to provide information that cannot be practically obtained through additional nonclinical assessments (e.g., bench top or animal studies) due to the novelty of the device or its intended use.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the development of novel tools and technologies through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to advance the field of neuroscience research including 1) tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function, 2) proof-of-concept testing and development of new technologies and novel approaches for large scale recording and manipulation of neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain, and 3) iterative refinement of such tools and technologies with the end-user community with an end-goal of scaling manufacture towards reliable, broad, sustainable dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience practice. Application Receipt Date(s): Standard Dates Apply

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the development of novel tools and technologies through the through the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to advance the field of neuroscience research, including 1) tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function, 2) proof-of-concept testing and development of new technologies and novel approaches for large scale recording and manipulation of neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain, and 3) iterative refinement of such tools and technologies with the end-user community with an end-goal of scaling manufacture towards reliable, broad, sustainable dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience practice. Application Receipt Date(s): Standard Dates Apply

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support short courses to facilitate the development of a sophisticated cadre of investigators with the requisite knowledge and skills in computational neuroscience perspectives and techniques for analyzing and interpreting complex, high-dimensional neuroscience data to advance The BRAIN Initiative®. For the purposes of this FOA, computational neuroscience encompasses theoretical neuroscience, computational and mathematical modeling of neural systems, and/or statistical perspectives and techniques. Each short course is expected to include both didactics and in-person/hands-on experiences. This FOA is intended for participants who are graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral scholars, medical residents, and/or early-career faculty.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development that will build participants’ foundational knowledge and skills in the rigorous use of state-of-the art scientific tools and methods that contribute to, and are developed in response to, the major goals of the BRAIN Initiative®. Each short course is expected to include both didactics and in-person / hands-on experiences. This FOA is intended for participants who are graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral scholars, medical residents, and/or early-career faculty.

Previous BRAIN FOAs sought technologies ready for in-vivo proof-of-concept testing and collection of preliminary data. This FOA seeks applications for technology at an earlier stage of development. Support might enable simulations or other mathematical approaches, building and testing prototypes, or in vitro or other bench-top models, to validate theoretical assumptions regarding brain signal sources or proposed measurement technologies. Invasive or non-invasive approaches are sought that will enable or reduce barriers to large-scale recording or manipulation of neural activity, compatible with experiments in humans or behaving animals. Applications are encouraged from any qualified individuals, including physicists, engineers, theoreticians, and scientists, especially those not typically involved in neuroscience research.

This announcement supports development and validation of novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), in support of the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, aims to support planning activities and the initial stages of development of entirely new or next generation brain imaging technologies and methods that will lead to transformative advances in our understanding of the human brain.