Initiative: Reagent Resources for Brain Cell Type-Specific Access to Broaden Distribution of Enabling Technologies for Neuroscience (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Sep 4, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for research organizations, academic institutions, and research centers developing and distributing reagent resources and enabling technologies for cell type-specific access in neuroscience research. Eligible applicants are typically NIH-eligible institutions including universities, medical centers, independent research institutes, and some for-profit organizations engaged in biomedical research. The program supports U24 cooperative agreement mechanisms designed specifically for resource development and distribution rather than direct research. Applicants must demonstrate capacity to develop, validate, characterize, and broadly distribute neurobiological reagents and tools. Clinical trials are not permitted under this mechanism. Geographic scope is U.S.-based research institutions, though international collaborators can be included as sub-awardees.
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Program description
This Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support establishment of facilities at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible institutions for scaled production and distribution of brain cell type-specific access and manipulation reagents. Reagents will be initially developed in pilot resource projects for brain cell type-specific access and manipulation across vertebrate species from the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium project. Awardees under this NOFO will work with the other Armamentarium awardees to manufacture and distribute the resources for use throughout the neuroscience community. It is envisioned that the awardees will work both with the Armamentarium community as well as with the neuroscience research community to optimize the use of new reagents. The types of reagents to be produced and distributed could include but are not limited to viral vectors, nucleic acid constructs, and nanoparticles designed for selective access to and manipulation of brain cell types. Such reagents will enable neuroscientists to probe circuit function with high precision in experimental animals and ex vivo human tissue and cells. Facilities are needed to contribute to the production and distribution of BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium project reagents broadly to neuroscience users.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance
- Project narrative (specific aims, significance, innovation, approach, distribution plan)
- Budget and budget justification
- Biographical sketches (NIH format) for key personnel
- Current and pending support documentation
- Letters of support or collaboration from institutions/labs planning to use the resource
- Facilities and administrative information
- Data management plan and resource sharing plan
- Timeline for resource development and dissemination milestones
Program contact
- 👤 National Institutes of Health
- 📧 grantsinfo@nih.gov
- 📞 301-402-2541
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.213 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$22,367,527
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$21,646,919
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$19,236,131
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$17,730,528
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$15,036,701
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$14,473,882
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$12,748,932
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$11,956,053
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$11,225,697
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$10,919,780
Top States by Funding
- CA 13 awards $83.9M
- MA 13 awards $81.4M
- WA 8 awards $69.9M
- NC 7 awards $53.8M
- NY 8 awards $47.7M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.213). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $240,178,154 | |
| 2025 | $232,899,116 | |
| 2026 est. | $2,655,626 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
NIH-eligible research institutions, universities, medical centers, and independent research institutes can apply. Applicants must be capable of developing and broadly distributing reagent resources. For-profit organizations may be eligible if they meet NIH eligibility criteria and can demonstrate resource development capacity.
What is the application deadline?
The fixed deadline is June 15, 2027. Applications must be submitted through NIH's electronic submission portal before the deadline. Applicants should plan for internal institutional review processes well in advance.
What types of activities are supported under this grant?
The grant supports development, optimization, validation, and characterization of cell type-specific reagents and enabling technologies for neuroscience research. It also funds infrastructure for distribution of these resources to the broader research community and associated training and technical support.
How competitive is this funding?
U24 mechanism grants are highly competitive, typically funded at rates of 5-15%. Success requires strong preliminary data, clear feasibility, significant innovation in resource development, and a clear plan for broad dissemination and community impact.
What is the typical funding range?
U24 cooperative agreements typically provide $100,000-$400,000 in direct costs annually, though exact amounts vary. Applicants should review the specific RFP guidance for current budget parameters and ensure their proposed scope aligns with realistic resource estimates.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize the breadth and anticipated use of your reagent resource: U24 mechanisms prioritize resources that will be adopted and used by a wide research community, so demonstrate clear demand and established collaborations with end users.
- Provide strong preliminary data on resource development and validation: Show proof-of-concept that your reagents are robust, reproducible, and improve upon existing tools in the field.
- Detail your distribution and accessibility plan: Explain how researchers will access materials, any associated costs/fees, timelines for resource availability, and strategies for marketing to the neuroscience community.
- Build a realistic sustainability plan beyond the grant: Reviewers want to know how your resource will be maintained long-term—through collaborations, fees, future funding, or institutional commitment.
- Ensure your team has both technical and management expertise: Include personnel with expertise in reagent production/validation AND experience managing and distributing shared resources at scale.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications often fail because they focus too heavily on basic research findings rather than the resource development and distribution infrastructure itself. Another common issue is underestimating the resources needed for quality control, validation across diverse research contexts, and scalable distribution systems. Finally, proposals that lack evidence of community demand or fail to document existing partnerships with potential end users struggle to demonstrate the "broad impact" essential for U24 funding.
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