The BRAIN Blog

The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative^SM is a bold undertaking aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. Since its inception in April of 2013, it has grown to include five Federal agencies – the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) has awarded the 2015 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University. Dr.

NIH has released a number of exciting new Requests for Applications (RFAs) for The BRAIN Initiative^SM, and we are encouraging researchers from across the physical and life sciences, as well as engineering disciplines, to submit applications to these and other open BRAIN Initiative funding opportunities.

On November 20^th and 21^st, 2014, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation, NIH brought together agency staff and the recipients of the first BRAIN Initiative awards for an Investigators Kickoff Meeting.

As delineated in the “BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision” report, crucial scientific knowledge of brain function comes from patients who voluntarily consent to the collection of research data as they undergo diagnostic or therapeutic brain monitoring with recording or stimulating electrodes. Researchers need to access the latest generation of devices to optimize the scientific value of this unique opportunity.

Separate events on Tuesday, September 30 highlighted the awardees of the first round of NIH BRAIN Initiative grants and the additional investments by companies, foundations, patient advocacy organizations, universities, and private research institutions to support the BRAIN Initiative.