The solicitation for pre-proposals is due October 24, 2022 and is seeking collaborative projects aimed at developing emerging neurotechnologies into commercially viable, clinically focused solutions for disorders of the nervous system.
The NIH BRAIN Initiative has invested a significant amount of funds in the development of new neurotechnologies. While this investment has produced novel, groundbreaking technologies, non-commercial developers often lack the resources and product development training to translate these devices from laboratory bench to bedside. The NIH Blueprint MedTech program aims to help address these challenges and support the development of cutting-edge medical devices to diagnose and/or treat disorders of the nervous system. The goal of the program is to accelerate patient access to groundbreaking, safe, and effective medical devices. The program will provide support to sufficiently develop and minimize risk from technologies to the point where additional investments are warranted from industry partners, investors, and government.
Earlier this year, the NIH BRAIN Initiative issued a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to encourage the translation of novel BRAIN-funded neurotechnologies via the Blueprint MedTech program (NOT-NS-22-052). The NOSI is intended to alert applicants that there is a need to help transition BRAIN Initiative-relevant technologies from early device development to first-in-human studies.
With the recent establishment of two Blueprint MedTech incubator hubs, the Center for Innovative NeuroTech Advancement (CINTA) and NeuroTech Harbor (NTH), BRAIN investigators have the opportunity to apply to a new funding opportunity on behalf of the NIH Blueprint MedTech program. Funding will cover up to $500,000 in direct costs per year for up to four years. In addition to funding, the selected teams will receive ongoing, specialized support from mentors experienced in commercializing neurotech devices. The Blueprint MedTech Hubs and NIH encourage applications from women, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, as well as individuals with disabilities. The solicitation for pre-proposal applications closes October 24, 2022. Following review of the pre-proposals, a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.
For more information, please read this science highlight article and visit the solicitation webpage.
To view other Blueprint MedTech funding opportunities, please visit the Blueprint funding opportunities webpage.