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BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Federal funding opportunity RFA-DC-27-004 from National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services).

Apply on Grants.gov →Application closes February 11, 2027

Posted: May 4, 2026
Closes: February 11, 2027
Award ceiling: $700,000
Program funding: $6,000,000
Expected awards: 5
Cost sharing: No
Instrument: Grant
Assistance listing: 93.242, 93.173, 93.286, 93.866, 93.273, 93.279, 93.865, 93.853, 93.213, 93.867
Category: Health
Archives: April 12, 2027

Program funding history

Awards made under Assistance Listing 93.242 (one of 10 on this opportunity) across FY2025–FY2027, from public federal spending records.

FY2025 obligated: $1.8B
FY2026 obligated: $1.8B
FY2027 (to date) obligated: $0
Awards in window: 6,272

Top recipients: Yale Univ, University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the, Washington University, the

Source: USAspending.gov · refreshed October 2026 · Program page: awards, recipients and the opportunities under this listing →

Synopsis

Invasive surgical procedures in humans offer the unique opportunity to intracranially record and stimulate neuronal activity within precisely localized brain structures, enabling high-impact human neuroscience investigations. This NOFO seeks exploratory research projects, from newly formed or established multi-disciplinary teams, to understand how dynamic activity of single cells and ensembles of neurons in spatially organized networks gives rise to the internal states we experience as sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and memories, and to observable motor and social behaviors. The research should be proposed as exploratory research and planning activities to establish feasibility and early-stage development that, if successful, would support, enable, and/or lay the groundwork for a potential, subsequent research project grant applications using invasive neural recording and stimulation technologies in the human brain. Projects should maximize opportunities to conduct innovative in vivo human neuroscience research made available by direct access to the brain from invasive surgical procedures. Projects should employ approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs and by quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Recipients will join a consortium working group, coordinated by the NIH, to identify consensus standards of practice, including neuroethical considerations, to collect and provide data for ancillary studies, and to aggregate and standardize data for dissemination among the wider scientific community.

Who can apply

Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
City or township governments
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Special district governments
County governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
State governments
Private institutions of higher education
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Small businesses
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Independent school districts

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility. Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

How to apply

Applications go through the official government listing. Grants Radar links you straight to the source — applying is free.

View on Grants.gov

Agency contact: National Institutes of Health · [email protected] · 301-402-2541

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