Overview

About

The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The BRAIN Initiative®, is a partnership between Federal and non-Federal partners with a common goal of accelerating the development of innovative neurotechnologies. Through the application and dissemination of these scientific advancements, researchers will be able to produce a revolutionary new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. 

With the National Institutes of Health (NIH) serving as a central and leading role in achieving this ambitious goal, the NIH BRAIN Initiative is made up and managed by 10 Institutes and Centers whose missions and current research portfolios complement the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. 

Mission

The BRAIN Initiative is aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain.

For more on the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s vision setting and strategic planning processes, visit the BRAIN 2025 report and the subsequent BRAIN 2.0 companion reports—“The BRAIN Initiative® 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures” and “The BRAIN Initiative® and Neuroethics: Enabling and Enhancing Neuroscience Advances for Society.”

View or download a snapshot of the Initiative’s progress(pdf, 2210 KB). (pdf, 2497 KB)

Quick Facts

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Director
John Ngai, Ph.D.
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Deputy Director
Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Ph.D.
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Established
April 2013
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Funding
$680 million appropriated in FY2023
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Milestones
20+ key moments in the BRAIN Initiative