Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA EY 17 001
Apply for RFA EY 17 001
- The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Large-Scale Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 20, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 07, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: 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/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Large-Scale Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA EY 17 001) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aimed at pushing forward early, high-impact ideas for next-generation neurotechnology. The core purpose of the opportunity is to support exploratory, early-stage research that can lead to entirely new ways to record from and modulate neural activity at much larger scales than what is currently feasible. In practical terms, it is looking for concepts that can help bridge the gap between what scientists want to measure and control in the nervous system and what today s tools can realistically do.
The scientific motivation behind the opportunity is tied directly to one of the BRAIN Initiative s central challenges: understanding how the brain and nervous system encode information through electrical and chemical signaling within neural circuits, and how those signals ultimately produce sensations, thoughts, emotions, and actions. The funding announcement highlights a major limitation in existing approaches. Non-invasive methods (such as many forms of human brain imaging) can be safer and broadly applicable, but they often have low spatial or temporal resolution and may rely on indirect proxies like changes in blood flow, which do not measure neural signaling with enough precision to answer many mechanistic questions. Invasive methods can measure the fundamental biophysical signals of neurons at very high resolution, sometimes down to the level of single cells, but they typically scale poorly, often capturing activity from tens to hundreds of neurons, which is tiny compared to the roughly 85 billion neurons in the human brain. The opportunity is essentially a call to invent or rethink technologies so that researchers can study neural circuit activity and influence it at far larger scales while maintaining meaningful precision.
This is an R21 mechanism, which is generally designed for early-stage, proof-of-concept, and high-risk high-reward projects rather than mature technology development with extensive preliminary data. Consistent with that intent, the program is positioned to back new concepts that could open fresh technical directions for large-scale recording (measuring neural activity broadly across cells, regions, or networks) and modulation (influencing neural activity, potentially with improved specificity, scalability, or reduced invasiveness). The emphasis is on enabling capabilities that current tools cannot deliver adequately, rather than incremental improvements to well-established platforms, and on producing foundational demonstrations that could later justify larger follow-on awards.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under the broader federal assistance landscape associated with several NIH CFDA numbers, including 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867, reflecting the multi-institute nature of BRAIN-related efforts across NIH. The total expected number of awards listed is 15, with an award ceiling of $200,000, signaling relatively modest, targeted funding intended to catalyze early development rather than finance large engineering builds or clinical-scale validation.
Eligibility is broad and is not limited to universities. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses as well as small businesses), and multiple levels of government entities such as state, county, and city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts. The eligibility list also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), and public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, along with an others category that indicates additional clarifications may apply in the full announcement text. This wide eligibility suggests the program is open to cross-sector teams that combine neuroscience, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, data science, and related disciplines, which matches the kind of multidisciplinary work typically required to create transformative neurotechnology.
Key dates in the source data indicate the funding opportunity was created on September 20, 2016, with an original closing date of December 7, 2016. While those dates describe the specific posting referenced here, they also help contextualize the announcement as part of the earlier waves of BRAIN Initiative funding aimed at seeding novel technical directions.
Overall, this opportunity can be understood as an NIH BRAIN Initiative call for bold, early-stage ideas that could dramatically expand the scale, precision, or practicality of measuring and controlling neural activity. It is driven by the recognition that current non-invasive tools often lack the resolution and directness needed, while invasive tools provide exquisite detail but do not scale to the enormous number of neurons involved in real brain function. The program uses the R21 format and a relatively small award cap to stimulate proof-of-concept innovations that, if successful, could become the foundation for future, larger technology development efforts and, ultimately, better ways to map and influence neural circuit dynamics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the NIH BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Large-Scale Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21). It is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement focused on early, high-impact ideas for next-generation neurotechnology.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA EY 17 001.
What is the main purpose of the grant?
The core purpose is to support exploratory, early-stage research that could lead to entirely new ways to record from and modulate neural activity at much larger scales than what is currently feasible. The emphasis is on bridging the gap between what researchers want to measure and control in the nervous system and what current tools can realistically do.
What kinds of scientific problems is this opportunity trying to address?
The opportunity is motivated by a central BRAIN Initiative challenge: understanding how the brain and nervous system encode information through electrical and chemical signaling within neural circuits, and how those signals produce sensations, thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Why is NIH emphasizing "large-scale" recording and modulation?
The announcement highlights that existing tools have major scale limitations. Many invasive approaches can measure neural signals with very high precision (sometimes at single-cell resolution) but often only from tens to hundreds of neurons, which is tiny compared to the scale of the nervous system (for context, the human brain has roughly 85 billion neurons). The program seeks concepts that can expand scale while maintaining meaningful precision.
What limitations of non-invasive methods does the announcement point out?
Non-invasive methods (including many forms of human brain imaging) can be safer and broadly applicable, but they often have low spatial or temporal resolution and may rely on indirect proxies such as changes in blood flow. These proxies may not measure neural signaling with enough precision to answer many mechanistic questions.
What limitations of invasive methods does the announcement point out?
Invasive methods can measure fundamental biophysical signals of neurons at very high resolution, but they typically scale poorly, often capturing activity from only tens to hundreds of neurons.
What does "recording" mean in the context of this program?
Recording refers to measuring neural activity broadly across cells, regions, or networks. The program is looking for new concepts that enable larger-scale measurement than current tools allow.
What does "modulation" mean in the context of this program?
Modulation refers to influencing neural activity. The opportunity emphasizes concepts that could improve specificity, scalability, or practicality (including potentially reduced invasiveness), compared with what current tools can deliver.
What type of NIH award mechanism is this?
This is an R21 mechanism.
What does the R21 mechanism imply about project maturity and risk?
The R21 mechanism is generally intended for exploratory, early-stage, proof-of-concept work and can support high-risk, high-reward ideas rather than mature technology development that requires extensive preliminary data.
Is the program looking for incremental improvements to existing technologies?
The emphasis is on enabling capabilities that current tools cannot deliver adequately, rather than incremental improvements to well-established platforms. The goal is to support foundational demonstrations that could justify larger follow-on awards.
How many awards are expected?
The expected number of awards is 15.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed is $200,000.
What does the $200,000 ceiling suggest about the scope of funded work?
The ceiling indicates relatively modest, targeted funding intended to catalyze early development and proof-of-concept research, rather than to finance large engineering builds or clinical-scale validation.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and not limited to universities. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other-than-small businesses); and multiple levels of government entities.
Which government entities are listed as eligible applicants?
Eligible government entities include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts.
Are tribal entities eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments).
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are included in the eligibility list.
Does the opportunity encourage multidisciplinary teams?
While the announcement does not require a particular team structure in the summary provided, the wide eligibility and the nature of transformative neurotechnology development strongly align with cross-sector and multidisciplinary efforts (for example, neuroscience, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, and data science).
Which NIH program or initiative is this associated with?
This opportunity is part of the NIH BRAIN Initiative.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with multiple NIH CFDA numbers, reflecting the multi-institute nature of BRAIN-related efforts: 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867.
When was this funding opportunity created?
The source data indicates it was created on September 20, 2016.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date listed is December 7, 2016.
What is the overarching goal of this specific BRAIN Initiative call?
The overarching goal is to seed bold, early-stage ideas that could dramatically expand the scale, precision, or practicality of measuring and controlling neural activity, addressing the trade-offs between non-invasive methods (often limited resolution and indirectness) and invasive methods (high precision but poor scalability).
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|---|
| BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects - eTargetedBCP (R21) Apply for RFA NS 17 015 Funding Number: RFA NS 17 015 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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| BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Team-Research BRAIN Circuit Programs - eTeamBCP (U01) Apply for RFA NS 18 008 Funding Number: RFA NS 18 008 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (U01) Apply for RFA NS 18 010 Funding Number: RFA NS 18 010 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA EB 20 002 Funding Number: RFA EB 20 002 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $250,000 |
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