Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 08 146
Apply for PA 08 146
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Probes and Instrumentation for Monitoring and Manipulating Nervous System Plasticity (SBIR R43/R44)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.361 Nursing Research 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.866 Aging Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 19, 2009 and posted on Apr 16, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 7, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Probes and Instrumentation for Monitoring and Manipulating Nervous System Plasticity (SBIR R43/R44)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-08-146) is an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding announcement aimed at pushing forward the technology base for studying neuroplasticity. It sits under the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, which is a cross-NIH framework meant to coordinate and strengthen neuroscience-related efforts across the NIH Office of the Director and 15 participating Institutes and Centers. In practical terms, this means the opportunity is tied to a broader NIH-wide priority: enabling better, more interoperable, and more powerful tools that can be used across many areas of nervous system research, rather than supporting only narrow disease-specific projects.
The central purpose of the FOA is to fund small businesses that will develop new tools, probes, or instrumentation that meaningfully improve the current state of the art in neuroplasticity research. The emphasis is on technology development that enables researchers to observe, measure, and manipulate plastic changes in the nervous system more precisely, more selectively, and with better resolution than what is commonly available. While the announcement does not lock applicants into a single technology type, NIH signals particular interest in approaches that can assess and manipulate neural activity at extremely fine scales, including subcellular resolution. Another highlighted priority is cell-type and circuit specificity, meaning technologies that can target cells based on how they are connected within a circuit and/or based on neurotransmitter phenotype. Taken together, the FOA is steering applicants toward innovations that allow researchers to not only record plasticity-related signals, but to control them in targeted ways that map onto real neural circuitry and defined cell identities.
From a funding mechanism standpoint, this opportunity uses the NIH SBIR R43/R44 pathway, supporting Phase I, Phase II, and Fast Track applications. Phase I typically focuses on feasibility and early proof of concept, Phase II supports more extensive development and validation, and Fast Track allows a project to move from Phase I into Phase II under a single combined submission when the development plan is strong and the transition is well justified. This structure is designed for small companies building tangible research products, platforms, or enabling methods that can mature from prototype to a more robust, broadly usable tool. The FOA also runs in parallel with a separate announcement of identical scientific scope that encourages R01 applications (RFA MH 09-030), which underscores that NIH is trying to stimulate both academic-style research projects (R01) and commercialization-oriented small business development (SBIR) around the same technical goals.
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR rules, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary grant funding, and it is housed within NIH, with participating Institutes and Centers engaging independently under the broader Blueprint affiliation. The CFDA program numbers associated with the announcement span multiple NIH mission areas, including neuroscience and neurological disorders (93.853), mental health research grants (93.242), alcohol research programs (93.273), aging research (93.866), nursing research (93.361), complementary and integrative health research and training (93.213), and broader extramural research programs (93.866/93.853 listings as provided). This spread reflects the cross-cutting nature of neuroplasticity tool development: the same enabling instrument or probe could be used in mental health, addiction, neurodegeneration, aging, rehabilitation, or fundamental circuit research.
Key administrative details place the FOA in a historical window: it was posted April 16, 2008, with a listed closing date of May 7, 2011, and it was archived June 7, 2011. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. Applicants and interested parties were directed to the full FOA text at the NIH grants site (grants.nih.gov), and NIH provided contact support via the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
In summary, PA-08-146 was a Blueprint-affiliated SBIR funding opportunity focused on small-business development of next-generation tools to measure and control nervous system plasticity, with particular interest in technologies enabling subcellular-resolution monitoring/manipulation and precise targeting of neurons defined by circuit connectivity and neurotransmitter identity, offered through the SBIR Phase I/II and Fast Track mechanisms and coordinated across multiple NIH neuroscience-relevant Institutes and Centers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Probes and Instrumentation for Monitoring and Manipulating Nervous System Plasticity (SBIR R43/R44)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is PA-08-146.
Which agency sponsors this funding opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What kind of funding mechanism does this opportunity use?
This announcement uses the NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) mechanism under the R43/R44 pathway.
What application stages are supported (Phase I, Phase II, Fast Track)?
The FOA supports Phase I, Phase II, and Fast Track applications. Phase I is typically focused on feasibility and early proof of concept. Phase II supports more extensive development and validation. Fast Track allows applicants to propose Phase I and Phase II together in a single combined submission when the development and transition plan is well-justified.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR rules.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the central purpose of PA-08-146?
The central purpose is to fund small businesses to develop new tools, probes, or instrumentation that significantly advance the state of the art for studying neuroplasticity, including technologies that improve the ability to observe, measure, and manipulate plastic changes in the nervous system.
What scientific area does this FOA focus on?
The FOA focuses on nervous system plasticity (neuroplasticity), specifically enabling technologies for monitoring and manipulating plastic changes in the nervous system.
What types of projects does NIH emphasize in this announcement?
The emphasis is on technology development projects that enable more precise, more selective, and higher-resolution monitoring and manipulation of neuroplasticity than is commonly available, including approaches that can work at extremely fine scales.
Does the FOA specify particular technical priorities?
Yes. NIH signals particular interest in technologies that can assess and manipulate neural activity at very fine scales, including subcellular resolution, and technologies that provide cell-type and circuit specificity.
What does "cell-type and circuit specificity" mean in the context of this FOA?
In this announcement, it refers to technologies that can target neurons based on how they are connected within a circuit and/or based on neurotransmitter phenotype (cell identity defined by neurotransmitter type).
Is this opportunity part of a larger NIH initiative?
Yes. It sits under the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, a cross-NIH framework designed to coordinate and strengthen neuroscience-related efforts across the NIH Office of the Director and 15 participating Institutes and Centers.
What does "Blueprint-affiliated" imply for applicants and projects?
It implies the opportunity aligns with NIH-wide priorities for building broadly useful, interoperable, and powerful tools that can be used across many areas of nervous system research, not only narrow disease-specific projects.
Is this a disease-specific funding opportunity?
No. Based on the description provided, the opportunity emphasizes enabling tools that can be applied across many neuroscience areas rather than being limited to a single disease or disorder.
What kind of outputs is NIH aiming to support through SBIR for this FOA?
The structure is designed for small companies building tangible research products, platforms, or enabling methods that can mature from prototype to a more robust, broadly usable tool.
Is there a related non-SBIR funding opportunity with the same scientific scope?
Yes. The FOA runs in parallel with a separate announcement of identical scientific scope that encourages R01 applications (RFA MH 09-030), reflecting NIH interest in stimulating both academic-style research (R01) and commercialization-oriented development (SBIR) toward similar technical goals.
What type of grant is this categorized as?
It is categorized as discretionary grant funding.
Which NIH components participate?
The announcement is Blueprint-affiliated, with participating NIH Institutes and Centers engaging independently under the broader Blueprint framework.
Which CFDA program numbers are associated with this FOA?
The CFDA program numbers listed span multiple NIH mission areas, including 93.853, 93.242, 93.273, 93.866, 93.361, and 93.213, with additional 93.866/93.853 listings as provided in the opportunity description.
Why are multiple CFDA numbers associated with one neuroplasticity tool FOA?
The spread of CFDA numbers reflects the cross-cutting nature of neuroplasticity tool development: the same enabling probe or instrument can be relevant to mental health, addiction, neurodegeneration, aging, nursing-related research, complementary and integrative health contexts, and broader neuroscience research programs.
When was PA-08-146 posted?
The FOA was posted on April 16, 2008.
What was the closing date for this opportunity?
The listed closing date was May 7, 2011.
Is this FOA still active?
No. It was archived on June 7, 2011.
Where were applicants directed to find the full FOA text?
Applicants were directed to the full FOA text on the NIH grants website at grants.nih.gov.
Who was listed as a contact for access or linking issues?
NIH provided contact support via the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
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