BRAIN Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Updated
Cooperative agreement from the National Institutes of Health, open to small businesses. Closes Feb 8, 2029, 842 days left.
| Opportunity number | RFA-NS-28-010 |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Institutes of Health |
| Funding type | Cooperative agreement |
| Field | Health |
| Expected number of awards | 5 |
| Total program funding | $8.0 million |
| Cost sharing or matching | Not required |
| Assistance listing | 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.372, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867 |
| Posted | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Closes | Feb 8, 2029 (842 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar |
Who can apply
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and state controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Others (see the eligibility notes)
Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International CollaborationsNon-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. See NIH Grants Policy Statement 16.8 Collaborative International Research Awards.Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.
Description
This funding opportunity supports transformative, mechanistic research aimed at understanding how the human brain functions. Applications should seek to reveal how the dynamic activity of individual neurons and ensembles of neurons within spatially organized brain networks gives rise to internal experiences, such as sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and memories, as well as to observable motor and social behaviors.
To achieve fundamental mechanistic insights into human brain function, proposed studies are expected to leverage opportunities made possible by invasive surgical procedures in humans, such as intracranial recording or stimulation. These investigations may be enhanced by incorporating complementary experimental models or systems that provide access to knowledge, techniques, or resources not otherwise available in human neuroscience research.
Such integration is encouraged to strengthen the mechanistic understanding of human brain function and to connect discoveries across species and biological scales. This program builds on cutting-edge advances enabled by the BRAIN Initiative and the broader neuroscience community.Projects supported through this opportunity are expected to produce transformative outcomes by the end of the funding period.
Approaches should be rigorous, mechanistic, and innovative by (1) maximizing opportunities to conduct innovative in vivo human neuroscience research made available by direct access to the human brain from invasive surgical procedures, (2) employing approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs and/or quantitative, mechanistic models.Funded investigators will join a consortium working group, coordinated by the NIH, to identify consensus standards of practice, including neuroethical considerations, to collect and provide data for ancillary studies, and to aggregate and standardize data for dissemination among the wider scientific community.
Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov
Health grants right now
There are 350 open federal grants in health that small businesses may apply for; 33 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $500,000. The agencies offering the most are National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA and Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD. Grants in this field stay open a median of 1031 days; this one is open for 862 days.
Who has won this program before
- Yale Univ $67.5 million · from Jul 1, 2015
- NEW York University $64.3 million · from Jul 7, 2010
- University Of North Carolina AT Chapel Hill $49.7 million · from Jul 1, 2007
- Baylor College Of Medicine $47.8 million · from Sep 28, 2011
- Jackson Laboratory $47.2 million · from Sep 16, 2011
The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.372, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.
Other open grants in the same program
Under assistance listing 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.372, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, the federal program this grant is paid from.
More open grants from the National Institutes of Health
340 open grants from this agency accept small businesses, with $356.4 million in total program funding listed.