Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Availability of Administrative Supplements for BRAIN Initiative Awardees to Support Resource Dissemination

Summary/Description

This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) announces the availability of administrative supplements to support the dissemination of promising technologies and resources generated from active Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative awards, to foster collaborations between innovators and new end-user laboratories, and ultimately integrate such innovations into neuroscience research practice.

The BRAIN Initiative is aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative technologies and resources, researchers will be able to produce a new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. It is expected that the application of these new technologies and resources will ultimately lead to new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders.

The NIH is one of several federal agencies involved in the BRAIN Initiative. Planning for the NIH component of the BRAIN Initiative is guided by the long-term scientific plan, “BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision,” which details seven high-priority research areas and calls for a sustained federal commitment of $4.5 billion over 12 years and “The BRAIN Initiative 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures,” which was released in 2019 and provides an assessment of achievements as well as details for new priority areas for investment. This NOSI and other Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) issued in Fiscal Year 2020 and beyond are based on careful considerations of the recommendations of the BRAIN 2025 and BRAIN 2.0 reports and input from the NIH BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group. Videocasts of the NIH BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group meetings are available at http://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/about/mcwg.htm. This NOSI specifically responds to the BRAIN 2.0 report’s call for strategic investment to facilitate rapid, effective, and collaborative dissemination of resources to unlock the full impact of the BRAIN Initiative.

The NIH encourages BRAIN Initiative applications from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research workforce (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27 and the most recent report on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). Such individuals include those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, those with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Additionally, the BRAIN Initiative encourages researchers to partner with and consider dissemination to investigators from institutions eligible for NIH Research Enhancement Awards such as the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP), Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA), or Institute Development Awards (IDeA), where the aggregate amount of NIH funding has historically been low.

Eligibility

• Pre-graduate
• Post-doctoral/Residency
• Early Career
• Established Investigator
• International
• Small Businesses