Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 18, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers conducting basic neuroscience investigations using direct invasive recording and stimulation in the human brain. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research hospitals, and medical centers with qualified neuroscience teams. Collaborative teams combining clinicians, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, data scientists, regulatory specialists, and ethics experts are encouraged. Research must investigate fundamental questions in human neuroscience using intracranial access during surgical procedures. Projects should focus on how the human brain processes sensation, perception, memory, decision-making, emotion, language, and motor control.
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Key dates
- Sep 30, 2026 Applications open
- Nov 1, 2026 Award announced
- Dec 1, 2026 Project start
- Feb 8, 2029 Application deadline in 843 days
Program description
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), with other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research on investigative neuroscience with intracranial access to recording and manipulating the brain directly. Investigations within the human brain offer revolutionary, but challenging, opportunities for experimental investigation in how the human brain senses, perceives, remembers, plans, makes decisions, registers emotions, engages language, and activates movements. By leveraging surgical procedures with direct access to the brain, there is the opportunity to design experiments specifically about human neuroscience in ways that are both uniquely human and otherwise impossible. Fundamental basic research often provides insights relevant to disorders of the nervous system and enables research targeting disease mechanisms or therapeutics. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the U01 activity code. Applications to this NOFO must propose to investigate fundamental questions in human neuroscience. In addition, collaborative investigations from newly formed or established teams, combining expertise of clinicians, scientists, device engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, data scientists, regulatory specialists and/or ethics specialists, as appropriate, to propose innovative research plans will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- R01/U01 Research Plan
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Biographical Sketches (key personnel)
- Institutional Support Letters
- IRB/Ethics Approval Documentation
- Detailed Surgical/Clinical Access Plan
- Data Management and Sharing Plan
Program contact
- 👤 Hermon R. Gebrehiwet, Dr.P.H., CCRP
- 📧 BRAINResOppHu@ninds.nih.gov
- 📞 240-328-8371
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.242 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$92,363,814
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$91,890,365
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$67,491,373
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$64,705,159
-
$63,991,707
-
$48,653,752
-
$40,395,082
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$38,475,557
-
$36,135,833
-
$35,940,675
Top States by Funding
- CA 15 awards $433.4M
- MA 10 awards $257.3M
- WA 4 awards $191.8M
- NY 6 awards $185.7M
- PA 6 awards $111.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.242). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,722,300,004 | |
| 2025 | $1,726,864,191 | |
| 2026 est. | $99,221,272 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Academic institutions, research hospitals, and medical centers with expertise in invasive human neuroscience research. Collaborative teams combining clinicians, scientists, engineers, and ethicists are strongly encouraged.
What types of research are supported?
Basic experimental neuroscience using direct intracranial recording and stimulation in human subjects during surgical procedures. Research must address fundamental questions about human brain function.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is February 27, 2026. This is a fixed deadline with no rolling submissions.
What makes a competitive application?
Strong applications demonstrate innovative research questions, multidisciplinary team expertise, rigorous experimental design, and careful ethical oversight of invasive human research.
How much funding is available?
Award amounts vary based on project scope and complexity. Contact NINDS or review the full NOFO for specific funding guidance.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Begin collaboration planning now. The funding opportunity allows time to develop partnerships before the formal announcement and application deadline.
- Assemble a multidisciplinary team early. Include clinicians with surgical access, neuroscientists, engineers, biostatisticians, and ethics specialists from the start.
- Design experiments that leverage unique human surgical access. Focus on questions that cannot be addressed in animal models or non-invasive human studies.
- Address ethical oversight thoroughly. Clearly describe informed consent procedures, safety monitoring, and institutional review board engagement.
- Review prior BRAIN Initiative awards. Examine successful applications to understand NIH expectations for innovative human neuroscience research.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposing research without clear justification for invasive human recording when non-invasive methods could suffice. Assembling weak teams lacking clinical surgeons, ethics expertise, or statistical rigor. Underestimating regulatory and ethical complexity of invasive human neuroscience research.
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