Initiative: Integrative Team-Research BRAIN Circuits Program – iBCP (RM1 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 research teams studying how the nervous system produces mental experience and behavior. Teams must include 3-6 principal investigators/project directors with integrated expertise spanning molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, and computational neuroscience. Projects must bridge three levels of analysis: circuit components, in vivo neural recordings, and behavior in tractable organisms or defined neural systems. Eligible applicants typically include academic institutions, research hospitals, and nonprofit research organizations with NIH funding capacity. Multi-disciplinary collaborations in engineering, data science, mathematics, physics, and statistics are strongly encouraged.
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Key dates
- Aug 31, 2026 Applications open
- Apr 1, 2027 Award announced
- Apr 1, 2027 Project start
- Jun 23, 2028 Application deadline in 613 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 from teams to understand how the nervous system, from its individual components to its unified whole, gives rise to mental experience and behavior. Teams must integrate distinct expertise of 3-6 PDs/PIs to deliver fundamental principles about central nervous system (CNS) function through theories, models, and approaches that bridge cells, circuits, behavior. Applications must connect these 3 levels of analysis: (1) rich large-scale information about circuit components (e.g., cell types, connectivity), (2) in vivo CNS recordings at cellular and sub-second and temporal resolution, (3) along with analyses of a tractable behavior of an organism or a well-defined neural system. Projects may also include the development of tools and approaches to surmount key research roadblocks. Experimental systems should be chosen for their potential to optimize integrative approaches and reveal generalizable, multi-scale principles about CNS computations underlying function and behavior. 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 RM1 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into this area of integrative systems neuroscience are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations from newly formed or established teams, combining expertise in molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, computational, and theoretical neuroscience, as well as in engineering, data science, mathematics, physics, and statistics, as appropriate, 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
- SF-424 (R&R)
- Project Narrative/Research Plan
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical Sketches (for all PIs/PDs)
- Facilities and Equipment
- Letters of Support from collaborating institutions
- Vertebrate Animals or Human Subjects documentation (if applicable)
Program contact
- 👤 Karen K. David, PhD
- 📧 BRAINCircuits@NIH.GOV
- 📞 240-328-3447
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.279 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$976,983,003
-
$204,359,786
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$128,377,094
-
$126,585,435
-
$99,478,296
-
$79,333,238
-
$78,245,057
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$74,806,844
-
$71,588,047
-
$61,572,673
Top States by Funding
- NC 2 awards $1,006.2M
- NY 4 awards $261.1M
- WA 1 awards $204.4M
- CT 2 awards $155.8M
- CA 4 awards $141.9M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.279). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,245,503,136 | |
| 2025 | $1,343,517,098 | |
| 2026 est. | $20,194,375 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Research teams with 3-6 principal investigators combining expertise in neuroscience, behavior, computation, engineering, and related quantitative fields. Your institution must be eligible to receive NIH funding.
What should my project focus on?
Projects must integrate circuit-level data, cellular/sub-second neural recordings, and behavioral analysis. Tools development to overcome research roadblocks is also supported. Choose experimental systems that reveal generalizable principles about nervous system function.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is June 16, 2026. This is a fixed deadline, not rolling.
How much funding will be awarded?
Specific award amounts are not yet published. Check the full NOFO when released for funding details and budget expectations.
What types of institutions are eligible?
Universities, medical schools, research hospitals, and nonprofit research organizations with NIH funding infrastructure are typically eligible. For-profit organizations may have limited eligibility.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start building your team now. Multi-disciplinary collaboration across 3-6 PIs is required, so recruit complementary expertise early.
- Use the iTeamBCP framework: integrate circuit anatomy, electrophysiology, and behavior into one cohesive research narrative.
- Choose your model organism or neural system strategically. It should enable all three levels of analysis simultaneously.
- Develop tools if your research reveals bottlenecks. Tool development is encouraged and strengthens applications.
- Plan for team management. Clearly define roles and decision-making structures for 3-6 equal PIs sharing leadership.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications fail when teams lack true integration across circuit, recording, and behavior levels. Proposals that focus too heavily on one scale of analysis often score poorly. Common rejections occur when PIs have unclear roles or when collaborations appear superficial rather than deeply integrated.
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