BRAIN issues notices for funding opportunities to advance brain cell atlases through centers, collaboratories and coordinating units

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These Notices support the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network, which aims to build reference brain cell atlas for wide dissemination throughout the community.

The three Notices of Intent to Publish featured below are related to planned Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) from the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative supporting the development of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN). The overarching goal of the BICAN is to build reference brain cell atlases that will be widely used throughout the research community, providing a molecular and anatomical foundational framework for the study of brain function and disorders. NIH provides these Notices to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.  

NOT-MH-21-260 BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN): Comprehensive Center on Human and Non-human Primate Brain Cell Atlases (UM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

This planned NOFO will support a group of large-scale Comprehensive Centers that will adopt scalable technology platforms and streamlined sampling strategies and assay cascade to create comprehensive and highly granular brain cell atlases of human and non-human primates with an emphasis on human. The Centers are expected to characterize all brain cell types (neurons, glia, and other non-neuronal cells) at high-resolution. The planned NOFO, along with its companion U01 (see NOT-MH-21-261), is expected to make four awards totaling $95M per year.

NOT-MH-21-261 BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN): Specialized Collaboratory on Human, Non-human Primate, and Mouse Brain Cell Atlases (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

This planned NOFO will support a group of Specialized Collaboratories that will adopt scalable technology platforms and streamlined sampling strategies to complement the Comprehensive Centers (NOT-MH-21-260). The Collaboratories are expected to have specialized research focus on select brain regions and/or cell types in human and non-human primates, or to extend mouse brain cell atlases across the lifespan with a new emphasis on linking molecular cell types to circuits and function. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adopt innovative and unique scalable technology and assay platforms to characterize brain cell types. The planned NOFO, along with its companion UM1 (see NOT-MH-21-260), is expected to make ten awards totaling $95M per year.

NOT-MH-21-262 BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN): Coordinating Unit for Biostatistics, Informatics, and Engagement (CUBIE) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

This planned NOFO will support an integrated Coordinating Unit of Biostatistics, Informatics, and Engagement (CUBIE) that will be composed of four subunits. These units will establish common data processing pipelines for sequencing and imaging, a comprehensive brain cell knowledge base, and support for engagement and outreach to coordinate research activities within and beyond the BICAN. CUBIE is expected to coordinate and collaborate with BICAN and other interested investigators to build reference brain cell atlases that will be widely used throughout the research community, providing a molecular and anatomical foundational framework for the study of brain function and disorders. In particular, CUBIE is expected to interact closely with the BRAIN Initiative data archives in building the common data processing pipelines upon cloud-based infrastructure with high-performance computing environment. The planned NOFO is expected to make eight awards totaling $5M per year.

All three BICAN NOFOs are estimated to be published July 1, 2021, with an estimated application due date of November 9, 2021.

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