BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Posted by National Institutes of Health
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement — BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — is cataloged under number RFA-EY-25-001 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 93.173;93.213;93.242;93.273;93.279;93.286;93.853;93.865;93.866;93.867, posted by National Institutes of Health. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as open, first posted on December 9, 2024 and last updated on January 3, 2025. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is Up to $200,000. The agency has projected $200,000 in total estimated funding for this announcement. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. Applications close on June 15, 2026 — roughly 10 days from today. That is a tight window — prioritize SAM.gov registration validation and assemble required documents immediately. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully — federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed — it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities.
Award Range
Up to $200,000
Close Date
June 15, 2026
Posted
December 9, 2024
Est. Total Funding
$200,000
Instrument
Grant
Description
A central goal of the BRAIN Initiative is to understand how electrical and chemical signals code information in neural circuits and give rise to sensations, thoughts, emotions and actions. While currently available technologies can provide some understanding, they may not be sufficient to accomplish this goal. For example, non-invasive technologies are low resolution and/or provide indirect measures such as blood flow, which are imprecise; invasive technologies can provide information at the level of single neurons producing the fundamental biophysical signals, but they can only be applied to tens or hundreds of neurons, out of a total number in the human brain estimated at 85 billion.Other BRAIN FOAs seek to develop novel technology (RFA-NS-17-003) or to optimize existing technology ready for in-vivo proof-of-concept testing and collection of preliminary data (RFA-NS-17-004) for recording or manipulating neural activity on a scale that is beyond what is currently possible. This FOA seeks applications for unique and innovative technologies that are in an even earlier stage of development than that sought in other FOAs, including new and untested ideas that are in the initial stages of conceptualization.In addition to experimental approaches, the support provided under this FOA might enable calculations, simulations, computational models, or other mathematical techniques for demonstrating that the signal sources and/or measurement technologies are theoretically capable of meeting the demands of large-scale recording or manipulation of circuit activity in humans or in animal models. The support might also be used for building and testing phantoms, prototypes, in-vitro or other bench-top models in order to validate underlying theoretical assumptions in preparation for future FOAs aimed at testing in animal models.
Eligibility
00;01;02;04;05;06;07;08;11;12;13;20;22;23;25
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
NIH Grants Information<br/>grantsinfo@nih.gov
Key Dates
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Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
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| Sources | Public official public datasets |