BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects- TargetedBCP (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 22 026

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 22 026

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering a discretionary research grant opportunity under the BRAIN Initiative titled "BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects - TargetedBCP (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," funding opportunity number RFA-NS-22-026. This is a reissue of an earlier announcement (RFA-NS-18-030) and uses the R01 grant mechanism, meaning it is intended for substantial, hypothesis-driven research projects led by an investigator or team. A key boundary is that clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, so proposed work should be basic or translational neuroscience research focused on understanding neural circuits rather than testing clinical interventions in humans.

The central purpose of the program is to support ambitious but feasible projects that explain how patterns of neural circuit activity produce mental experience and behavior. NIH is specifically looking for applications that combine methods in a genuinely integrated way, rather than using a single technique in isolation. The expectation is that projects will not only collect data, but will connect theory, computational or statistical analysis, and experimental design into one coherent research strategy. A major emphasis is on generating predictive models as concrete deliverables. In practice, that means applicants are expected to move beyond description (for example, cataloging neural responses) and instead produce models that can predict circuit activity or behavior under defined conditions, ideally in ways that can be tested and refined through new experiments.

Scientifically, proposed research must focus on circuit function within specific neural systems tied to recognizable domains of brain function and behavior. Examples explicitly highlighted include sensation, perception, attention, reasoning, intention, decision-making, emotion, navigation, communication, and homeostasis. The program is aimed at projects that improve understanding of central nervous system circuits by systematically controlling stimuli and/or behavior while actively recording and/or manipulating dynamic patterns of neural activity. This wording signals that NIH wants tightly designed experiments where inputs (stimuli, task demands, environmental conditions) and behavioral outputs are carefully measured and controlled, and where investigators can directly observe circuit dynamics and, when appropriate, perturb them to test causal mechanisms. Approaches that only measure static snapshots or rely purely on correlational observations are less aligned with the stated goals than those that can capture time-varying activity patterns and test how circuit dynamics drive behavior.

The FOA is open to work in both non-human and human species, with the expectation that applicants will justify why their chosen model system is the right one for the scientific question. Importantly, applications are expected to explain how the selected species offers especially good conditions for revealing general principles about how circuits generate a particular behavior. In other words, model selection should be motivated by what the species makes possible in terms of access to neural circuits, experimental control, interpretability, and the ability to generalize findings. The program is not framed as species-restrictive; it is framed as principle-driven, where the model should be matched to the circuit-level question and the kind of prediction and mechanistic insight the project is aiming to deliver.

A practical programmatic requirement is that the research should be positioned to achieve a meaningful outcome within a five-year project period. This is a signal that reviewers will be looking for a clear, credible path to major outputs on a realistic timeline, rather than open-ended exploratory work. The five-year horizon also fits with the R01 structure and suggests that applicants should define milestones and outputs that demonstrate progress toward mechanistic understanding and predictive modeling within that timeframe.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, tribal governments other than federally recognized tribes, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations. This breadth indicates NIH is encouraging wide participation across institutional types, including organizations that may bring unique perspectives, populations, infrastructure, or collaborative networks to circuit neuroscience.

Administrative details included in the source information identify NIH as the sponsoring agency and list multiple CFDA (assistance listing) numbers associated with NIH programs: 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867. The original closing date shown for the opportunity is 2024-02-13, and the opportunity record indicates a creation date of 2022-02-10. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source, so applicants would typically look to the full FOA or NIH institute guidance for budget expectations, paylines (if any), and program-specific funding intent.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for teams that can bring together modern circuit measurement and manipulation tools with rigorous experimental control and strong quantitative modeling. The most competitive projects are likely to be those that clearly define a circuit-level question tied to a specific behavioral or mental domain, show tight alignment between theory, analysis, and experimental design, and commit to producing predictive models that can be validated through carefully controlled recordings and perturbations of neural activity, all within a five-year deliverable-focused plan.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Projects- TargetedBCP (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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 2022-02-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for RFA NS 22 026

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