Notices of Funding Opportunities

The goal of this effort is to support the development and validation of next generation platforms and analytic approaches to precisely quantify behaviors in humans and link them with simultaneously recorded brain activity. Tools used for analyzing behavior should be multi-modal and should be able to be linked to brain activity and thus have the accuracy, specificity, temporal resolution, and flexibility commensurate with tools used to measure and modulate the brain circuits that give rise to those behaviors. This phased award will support novel tool development (i.e., hardware/software) in the R61 phase and synchronization of novel tools for measuring behavior and human brain activity in the R33 phase.

This Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) seeks applications that bring together transdisciplinary teams and aim to 1) develop, validate, and apply cutting-edge tools and methods for minimally invasive, multi-dimensional, high-resolution objective measurement of behavior at the organismal level, with synchronous capture of dynamic environmental data; 2) develop advanced analytic approaches to integrate multidimensional behavioral, neural and environmental data; and 3) develop and test new theoretical and computational models aiming to advance understanding of behavior as a complex dynamic system. Proposed projects are expected to be designed with the capacity to integrate synchronously recorded neural data and/or inform existing models of neurobehavioral function, such as those developed with the support of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. This BRAIN Initiative NOFO is specifically soliciting applications proposing basic research involving human subjects aiming to reveal and understand fundamental principles underlying behavioral function, including research limited to observational studies or analysis of human data. Applications proposing research using exclusively non-human animal models should apply under the companion NOFO, RFA-DA-24-041. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP).

This Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) seeks applications proposing research aiming to 1) develop, validate, and apply cutting-edge tools and methods for minimally invasive, multi-dimensional, high-resolution measurement of behavior at the organismal level, with synchronous capture of changes in the organisms social or physical environment; and 2) develop computational methods that allow for integration of multidimensional behavioral and environmental data representing multiple timescales into a conceptual and/or computational model of behavior as a complex dynamic system. Proposed projects are also expected to be designed with the capacity to integrate synchronously recorded neural data and/or inform existing models of neurobehavioral function, such as those developed with the support of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. Research that falls under the definition of an NIH Clinical Trial is not allowed under this NOFO. Applicants interested in proposing mechanistic research in humans relevant to the above purpose should submit under the companion U01 NOFO, RFA-DA-24-040. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications to develop web-accessible data archives to capture, store, and curate data related to BRAIN Initiative activities. The data archives will work with the research community to incorporate tools that allow users to analyze and visualize the data, but the creation of such tools is not part of this NOFO. The data archives will use appropriate standards to describe the data, but the creation of such standards is not part of this NOFO. A goal of this program is to advance research by creating a community resource data archive with appropriate standards and summary information that is broadly available and accessible to the research community for furthering research.

This BRAIN Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support scaled reagent production and distribution facilities involving technologies to access brain cell types. Facilities for production and distribution of these reagents by a broad and diverse set of neuroscientists will be encouraged. This NOFO is part of the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium for Brain Cell Access transformative project. Efforts will be supported to produce and distribute gene transfer, gene regulation, and genome engineering reagents for use in both genetically tractable and less tractable systems, including primates and human tissue, which are relevant for future translational efforts. Reagents to be produced and distributed are those designed and validated under other NOFOs from the Armamentarium transformative project.

Guided by the goals established in BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision and reinforced by the Advisory Council to the Director Working Group on BRAIN 2.0 Neuroethics Subgroup, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support efforts addressing core ethical issues associated with research focused on the human brain and resulting from emerging technologies and advancements supported by the BRAIN Initiative. This NOFO encourages research project grant applications from multi-disciplinary teams focused on key ethical issues associated with BRAIN Initiative supported research areas. Efforts supported under this NOFO are intended to be both complementary and integrative with the transformative, breakthrough neuroscience discoveries supported through the BRAIN Initiative.

Guided by the goals established in BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision and reinforced by the Advisory Council to the Director Working Group on BRAIN 2.0 Neuroethics Subgroup, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support efforts addressing core ethical issues associated with research focused on the human brain and resulting from emerging technologies and advancements supported by the BRAIN Initiative. This NOFO encourages research project grant applications from multi-disciplinary teams focused on key ethical issues associated with BRAIN Initiative supported research areas. Efforts supported under this NOFO are intended to be both complementary and integrative with the transformative, breakthrough neuroscience discoveries supported through the BRAIN Initiative.

Reissue of RFA-NS-19-011: The purpose of the NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award is to support a defined pathway across career stages for outstanding graduate students who are from backgrounds that are nationally underrepresented in neuroscience research. This two-phase award will facilitate completion of the doctoral dissertation and transition of talented graduate students to strong neuroscience research postdoctoral positions, and will provide career development opportunities relevant to their long-term career goal of becoming independent neuroscience researchers.

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The over-arching goal of this NIH Blueprint R25 program is to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, and Mentoring Activities.The fully integrated educational activities should prepare undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences to enter Ph.D. degree programs in the neurosciences. To accomplish this goal, this initiative will provide institutional awards to develop neuroscience research education programs comprised of collaborative partnerships integrated across different educational institution types. Each partnership must include: a) one or more institutions that either: 1) have a historical and current mission to educate students from any of the populations that have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical research as defined by the National Science Foundation NSF, see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/) (i.e., African Americans or Blacks, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities) or 2) have a documented track record of recruiting, training and/or educating, and graduating underrepresented students as defined by NSF (see above), which has resulted in increasing the institution's contribution to the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical research careers; b) a research-intensive institution that has an established neuroscience or neuroscience-related program; c) integrated

The goal of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00) program is to enhance workforce diversity in the neuroscience workforce and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented, NIH-supported, independent investigators from diverse backgrounds in BRAIN Initiative research areas. This program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers with research and/or clinical doctorate degree from mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. The program will provide independent NIH research support during this transition to assist awardees in launching competitive, independent research careers.