BRAIN Initiative: New Technologies and Novel Approaches for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 24 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 24 004

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the BRAIN Initiative, is soliciting R01 grant applications under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-NS-24-004 titled "BRAIN Initiative: New Technologies and Novel Approaches for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." This funding opportunity is a reissue of an earlier announcement (RFA-NS-18-020) and is centered on one of the BRAIN Initiative's core goals: enabling scientists to understand the dynamic activity of brain circuits by building better ways to measure and control what cells and networks in the central nervous system (CNS) are doing in real time.

The program is focused on proof-of-concept testing and technology development for tools that can record from, and/or modulate, nervous system activity. "Modulation" is interpreted broadly and includes stimulation or activation, inhibition, and other forms of manipulation. The FOA emphasizes that it is looking for exceptionally creative, potentially high-risk ideas that tackle major technical barriers in neuroscience. The payoff NIH is aiming for is transformative: technologies that, if they work, would substantially change what experiments are possible and accelerate discovery about how the CNS functions.

A key theme is achieving measurements and interventions at or near cellular resolution, while also being able to operate across multiple spatial and temporal scales. In practice, this means proposals might aim to capture activity at the level of single neurons or non-neuronal cells, while also being able to monitor or influence ensembles, circuits, and networks over time. The FOA is also explicit that the technology should be able to work in any brain region and throughout the full depth of the brain, which highlights ongoing limitations in accessing deep structures with high fidelity while maintaining resolution and minimizing invasiveness.

The opportunity is not limited to classic electrophysiology. NIH signals strong interest in approaches that leverage diverse types of biological signaling and physical mechanisms, including optical, magnetic, acoustic, and genetic strategies for recording and manipulation, in addition to electrical activity. Projects that integrate multiple approaches are encouraged, reflecting the idea that major leaps often come from combining modalities (for example, pairing a recording method with a precisely targeted manipulation method, or integrating hardware advances with computational methods that extract usable signals from complex data).

Another clear expectation is that proposed technologies should be compatible with experiments in behaving animals, and that they should be validated under in vivo experimental conditions. In other words, the FOA is not primarily aimed at purely theoretical concepts or tools that only work in simplified preparations; it is looking for tools that can survive the realities of living brain tissue and the motion, constraints, and biological variability that come with studies of behavior. NIH also emphasizes reducing major barriers to neurobiological experiments, which points toward platforms that are easier to deploy, more scalable, more stable over time, less invasive, or capable of collecting richer datasets than existing approaches.

Because these projects often sit at the intersection of disciplines, the FOA encourages teams that integrate the appropriate domains of expertise, including biological, chemical, and physical sciences, engineering, computational modeling, and statistical analysis. This reflects the practical needs of modern neurotechnology: success often depends not just on building a device or molecular tool, but also on demonstrating biological performance, quantifying limitations, validating measurements, and building analysis pipelines that can turn high-dimensional recordings into interpretable information.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant using the R01 mechanism, and clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement. The original closing date listed is January 20, 2026. Multiple CFDA numbers are associated with the opportunity (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867), reflecting that it aligns with several NIH program areas. An explicit award ceiling is not provided in the source details you shared, and the expected number of awards is not specified there either, which is common in some NIH FOAs where budgets and award counts depend on application quality and available funds.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and government entities, such as state, county, and city governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other categories. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), 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, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility is consistent with NIH's interest in drawing the strongest and most creative technology concepts from a broad range of institutions and sectors.

Overall, the opportunity is designed for investigators proposing bold, enabling neurotechnologies that push beyond incremental improvements. Competitive applications will typically articulate a clear unmet need in recording and/or modulation, propose a novel solution with a plausible development and validation path, demonstrate feasibility through proof-of-concept rationale or preliminary evidence where appropriate, and lay out a convincing in vivo validation strategy relevant to behaving-animal neuroscience. The throughline is impact: tools that open up experiments that are currently impractical or impossible, and that make it easier to map, measure, and causally test how CNS circuits produce function and behavior.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: New Technologies and Novel Approaches for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (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 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.

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