Notices of Funding Opportunities

National Institutes of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), requests for applications (RFAs), program announcements (PAs), and other NIH Guide announcements are listed below. Search this page to find all notices of special interest (NOSI). Search the Closed Opportunities page to find expired opportunities.  

Learn more about NIH’s grant mechanisms.  

Learn about the Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), a required component in most BRAIN applications.  

Learn about the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy, which all NIH applications must follow.  

To see more NIH-funded awards, please visit NIH Grants and Funding.

For more about NIH BRAIN Initiative research and associated funding opportunities, visit the Research Overview.

Title
Release Date
Expiration Date
Funding Opportunity #
BRAIN Initiative: Production and distribution facilities for brain cell type-specific access reagents (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
July 02 , 2026

This BRAIN Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support scaled reagent production and distribution facilities involving technologies to access brain cell types. Facilities for production and distribution of these reagents by a broad and diverse set of neuroscientists will be encouraged. This NOFO is part of the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium for Brain Cell Access transformative project. Efforts will be supported to produce and distribute gene transfer, gene regulation, and genome engineering reagents for use in both genetically tractable and less tractable systems, including primates and human tissue, which are relevant for future translational efforts. Reagents to be produced and distributed are those designed and validated under other NOFOs from the Armamentarium transformative project.

BRAIN Initiative: Scaled reagent resources for brain cell type-specific access across vertebrate species (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
January 18 , 2025

This BRAIN Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to scale up efforts for viral, non-viral, transgenic, and gene regulatory element screening technologies and create reagent resources to access brain cell types. This NOFO is part of the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium for Brain Cell Access transformative project. Reagent development efforts will apply gene transfer, gene regulation, genome engineering, activity sensor/effector, and atlasing technologies for use in both genetically tractable and less tractable systems, including primates and human tissue, which are relevant for future translational efforts. Reagent validation studies will provide feedback to improve scaled resources, informed by deeper understanding of neural gene transfer and regulation mechanisms. Precise targeting could ultimately aid in human disorders, for example, by providing access for gene editors to specific cell types to repair mutations.

BRAIN Initiative: Research on the Ethical Implications of Advancements in Neurotechnology and Brain Science (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
October 10 , 2026

Guided by the goals established in BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision and reinforced by the Advisory Council to the Director Working Group on BRAIN 2.0 Neuroethics Subgroup, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support efforts addressing core ethical issues associated with research focused on the human brain and resulting from emerging technologies and advancements supported by the BRAIN Initiative. This NOFO encourages research project grant applications from multi-disciplinary teams focused on key ethical issues associated with BRAIN Initiative supported research areas. Efforts supported under this NOFO are intended to be both complementary and integrative with the transformative, breakthrough neuroscience discoveries supported through the BRAIN Initiative.

BRAIN Initiative: Research on the Ethical Implications of Advancements in Neurotechnology and Brain Science (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
October 10 , 2026

Guided by the goals established in BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision and reinforced by the Advisory Council to the Director Working Group on BRAIN 2.0 Neuroethics Subgroup, this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is intended to support efforts addressing core ethical issues associated with research focused on the human brain and resulting from emerging technologies and advancements supported by the BRAIN Initiative. This NOFO encourages research project grant applications from multi-disciplinary teams focused on key ethical issues associated with BRAIN Initiative supported research areas. Efforts supported under this NOFO are intended to be both complementary and integrative with the transformative, breakthrough neuroscience discoveries supported through the BRAIN Initiative.

NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
October 07 , 2026

Reissue of RFA-NS-19-011: The purpose of the NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award is to support a defined pathway across career stages for outstanding graduate students who are from backgrounds that are nationally underrepresented in neuroscience research. This two-phase award will facilitate completion of the doctoral dissertation and transition of talented graduate students to strong neuroscience research postdoctoral positions, and will provide career development opportunities relevant to their long-term career goal of becoming independent neuroscience researchers.

BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
June 16 , 2026

This FOA seeks applications for unique and innovative recording and/or modulation technologies that are in the earliest stage of development, including new and untested ideas that are in the initial stages of conceptualization. Some projects may aim to increase recording or modulation capabilities by many orders of magnitude, while others may aim to improve the precision and selectivity of recording or modulation (also referred to as stimulation, perturbation, or manipulation). A wide range of modalities are appropriate including acoustic, chemical, electrical, magnetic, and optical, as well as the use of genetic tools. Invasive or non-invasive approaches are sought that will enable large-scale recording and/or precise manipulation of neural activity, and that would ultimately be compatible with experiments in humans or behaving animals. Applications are encouraged from any qualified individual, including chemists, physicists, engineers, theoreticians, materials scientists, and others from fields not typically involved with neuroscience research. This FOA requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn.

NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (BP BRAIN-ENDURE) (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
February 11 , 2025

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The over-arching goal of this NIH Blueprint R25 program is to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, and Mentoring Activities.The fully integrated educational activities should prepare undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences to enter Ph.D. degree programs in the neurosciences. To accomplish this goal, this initiative will provide institutional awards to develop neuroscience research education programs comprised of collaborative partnerships integrated across different educational institution types. Each partnership must include: a) one or more institutions that either: 1) have a historical and current mission to educate students from any of the populations that have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical research as defined by the National Science Foundation NSF, see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/) (i.e., African Americans or Blacks, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities) or 2) have a documented track record of recruiting, training and/or educating, and graduating underrepresented students as defined by NSF (see above), which has resulted in increasing the institution's contribution to the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical research careers; b) a research-intensive institution that has an established neuroscience or neuroscience-related program; c) integrated

BRAIN Initiative: Development and Validation of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
February 09 , 2027

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. The new tools and technologies should inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools that can be used in a number of species/model organisms rather than those restricted to a single species are highly desired. Applications that provide approaches that break through existing technical barriers to substantially improve current capabilities are highly encouraged.

BRAIN Initiative: Development of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in Human and Non-Human Primate Brain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
June 08 , 2024

Reissue of RFA-MH-22-115 to comply with DMSP policy. The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis and manipulation of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. Critical advances in the treatment of brain disorders in human populations are hindered by our lack of ability to monitor and manipulate circuitry in safe, minimally-invasive ways. Clinical intervention with novel cell and circuit specific tools will require extensive focused research designed to remove barriers to delivery of gene therapies. In addition to identification and removal of barriers, the need to specifically target dysfunctional circuitry poses additional challenges. Neuroscience has experienced an impressive influx of exciting new research tools in the past decade, especially since the launch of the BRAIN Initiative. However, the majority of these cutting edge tools have been developed for use in model organisms, primarily rodents, fish and flies. These cutting edge tools, such as viral delivery of genetic constructs, are increasingly adaptable to large brains and more importantly are emerging as potential human therapeutic strategies for brain disorders. A pressing need to develop tools for use in large brains, more directly relevant to the human brain is the focus of this initiative. The new tools and technologies should inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application.

BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects- TargetedBCP (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
October 03 , 2024

Reissue of RFA-NS-22-026 to comply with DMSP - No new dates are being added.(Reissue of RFA-NS-18-030) This NOFO solicits applications for research projects that use innovative, methodologically-integrated approaches to understand how circuit activity gives rise to mental experience and behavior. The goal is to support projects that can realize a meaningful outcome within 5 years. Applications should address circuit function in the context of specific neural systems such as sensation, perception, attention, reasoning, intention, decision-making, emotion, navigation, communication or homeostasis. Projects should link theory and data analysis to experimental design and should produce predictive models as deliverables. Projects should aim to improve the understanding of circuits of the central nervous system by systematically controlling stimuli and/or behavior while actively recording and/or manipulating dynamic patterns of neural activity. Projects can use non-human and human species, and applications should explain how the selected species offers ideal conditions for revealing general principles about the circuit basis of a specific behavior.

Export to:
A maximum of 400 records can be exported.