BRAIN Initiative: Optimization of Instrumentation and Device Technologies for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (U01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA NS 24 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 24 005

The NIH BRAIN Initiative funding opportunity RFA-NS-24-005 supports projects that take promising neural recording and modulation technologies that have already cleared an early proof-of-concept stage and push them through a focused, practical optimization phase. The core goal is to improve instrumentation and device technologies so they become more reliable, easier to use, and more broadly adoptable by neuroscience researchers, with an emphasis on iterative refinement driven by real feedback from end users. This is a reissue of an earlier announcement (RFA-NS-18-019) and continues the BRAIN Initiative priority of building tools that can reveal how neural circuits operate dynamically, especially in ways that open up new experimental possibilities rather than incremental upgrades.

The work this FOA is looking for sits in the middle ground between invention and widespread deployment: not brand-new speculative concepts, and not routine application of mature tools, but accelerated engineering and validation to remove key barriers that currently limit experiments. The technologies should address major challenges in recording from or modulating cells and networks in the central nervous system, including both neuronal and non-neuronal cells. “Modulation” is meant broadly and can include stimulation/activation, inhibition, or other forms of manipulation. Likewise, “recording” is not limited to electrical signals; approaches can target optical, electrical, magnetic, acoustic, genetic, or other readouts and control methods. Proposals that combine multiple approaches, for example integrating a recording method with a complementary modulation strategy or combining modalities to improve specificity and coverage, are explicitly encouraged.

A central expectation is that the proposed tools will be compatible with experiments in behaving animals and validated under in vivo experimental conditions. In other words, the FOA prioritizes technologies that can operate under realistic biological and experimental constraints, not only in benchtop setups. Projects should be designed to reduce major practical obstacles to doing neurobiological experiments and to enable discoveries about CNS function that are currently difficult or impossible with standard methods. The emphasis on iterative testing with end users means applicants should plan for cycles of prototyping, user evaluation, troubleshooting, and redesign, with measurable performance improvements and usability gains along the way.

The FOA also stresses dissemination and sustainability: manufacturing techniques and workflows should be scalable so that, if the optimized technology proves successful, it can be produced and shared broadly rather than remaining a one-off custom build. This includes attention to user-friendly incorporation into everyday neuroscience research, which often implies considerations like robustness, standardization, ease of setup, maintainability, documentation, and compatibility with typical laboratory environments and experimental pipelines.

NIH will make awards using a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally indicates substantial scientific or programmatic involvement by NIH staff during the project compared with standard grants. Clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the opportunity category is listed as discretionary. The application due date provided is January 20, 2026. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with the announcement (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867), reflecting the broad NIH participation and program alignment typical of BRAIN-related tool development initiatives.

Eligibility is broad and includes many standard U.S. applicant categories such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible groups and institution types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, along with tribal governments that are not federally recognized. Overall, the opportunity is geared toward multidisciplinary teams that can combine neuroscience with engineering and quantitative disciplines (for example biological, chemical, and physical sciences; engineering; computational modeling; and statistical analysis) to take a tool that already looks transformative on paper and turn it into something that reliably works in vivo, in behaving animals, and in the hands of the broader research community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Optimization of Instrumentation and Device Technologies for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (U01 Clinical Trials 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 2023-03-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-20. (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 24 005

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: