21st Century Cures Act – Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies

To provide extramural research support for the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative’s aim of revolutionizing our understanding of the brain and its function in unprecedented detail. The NIH BRAIN Initiative’s focus is foundational development of new technologies and tools to map, monitor, and modulate brain circuits in model systems and humans – toward the ultimate goal of treating and curing human brain disorders. BRAIN Initiative research adheres to open, ethical, and inclusive science – and requires diverse expertise across all domains. BRAIN-supported research areas include comprehensive cataloguing, mapping, accessing and characterization of brain cell types ; probing neural circuits that interact and produce behavior, cognition, and emotion; developing and employing new  technologies to monitor function and connectivity of synapses, circuits, and whole brains; partnering with human research participants, including  utilizing neurotechnologies in first-in-human clinical studies, to study the human brain in the context of brain injury and brain disorders; and establishing data-sharing platforms and computational models that help decode brain processes and functions. Within these scientific focus areas, the Initiative supports research project grants, cooperative agreements, workforce development awards and Small Business Innovation Research awards. Research supported by the Initiative has a strong commitment to broad dissemination of newly developed technologies, and to considering neuroethical issues related to studying the human brain and the neuroscience advances that follow from this research. New frontiers for BRAIN research will adhere to, and build on, what has been learned to date and adapt to the rapidly changing scientific landscape and neuroscience ecosystem.

Interstate, Intrastate, State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals), Local (includes State-designated Indian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals, Sponsored organization, Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals), Other public institution/organization, U.S. Territories and possessions, U.S. Territories and possessions (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals), Individual/Family, Minority group, Specialized group (e.g. health professionals, students, veterans), Small business (less than 500 employees), Profit organization, Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals), Other private institutions/organizations, State Research Grants: Any public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit institution is eligible to apply. For-profit institutions are not eligible for Institutional National Research Service Awards but are eligible for Individual NRSAs. All proposals are reviewed for scientific merit, for evaluation of the qualifications of the investigators, for adequacy of the research environment, and for significance of the problem. Approved proposals compete for available funds. All Career Development Program awardees, with the exception of awardees of the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), must be citizens or have been admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Candidates must be nominated for the program by a nonfederal public or private nonprofit institution located in the United States, its possessions or territories. To be eligible, postdoctoral NRSA trainees or fellows must have a professional or scientific degree (M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., D.O., D.V.M., Sc.D., D. Eng., or equivalent domestic or foreign degree). SBIR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses (entities that are independently owned and operated for profit, are not dominant in the field in which research is proposed, and have no more than 500 employees). Primary employment (more than one-half time) of the principal investigator must be with the small business at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed project. In both Phase I and Phase II, the entire research must be performed in the United States. To be eligible for funding, a grant application must be approved for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific review group and a national advisory council. STTR grants can be awarded only to domestic small business concerns (entities that are independently owned and operated for profit, are not dominant in the field in which research is proposed and have no more than 500 employees) which "partner" with a research institution in cooperative research and development. At least 40 percent of the project is to be performed by the small business concern and at least 30 percent by the research institution. In both Phase I and Phase II, the research must be performed in the U.S. and its possessions. To be eligible for funding, a grant application must be approved for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific review group and a national advisory council.

Research Grants, Training, Fellowship, SBIR/STTR and Cooperative Agreements are funded based on scientific merit, program relevance, and program balance and are made annually. The initial grant award provides funds for the first budget period (usually 12 months) and letter Notice of Award indicates support recommended for the remainder of the project period, allocation of Federal funds by budget categories and special conditions, if any. Approved applications will compete on a merit basis for available funds. Formal award notices are transmitted to the grantee or awardee.

Research Grants, Career Program, SBIR/STTR applications: Approximately 10 months