BRAIN Initiative: Research Resource Grants for Technology Integration and Dissemination (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The overall goal of this NOFO is to accelerate the scientific impact of the BRAIN Initiative through rapid dissemination of developed and validated technologies and resources broadly to the neuroscience research community. Awards from this RFA will be made for no more than 5 years, with a possibility of one renewal.

Projects may accomplish this goal by engaging in one or more of the following types of activities:

• Production and distribution of reagents (e.g., antibodies, chemical probes, transgenic lines) using quality control manufacturing processes
• Services providing customized instrumentation based on end user needs
• Provision of state-of-art components, devices, or integrated systems (e.g., for assaying neural activity and/or connectivity) either distributed to end users or operated as specialized core facilities with user engagement
• Resources focused on enabling the translation of neurotechnologies for human use
• Maintenance, minor enhancements, and distribution of open-source computational models and software packages
• User facilities that enable scientists from outside institutions to utilize specialized tools or techniques
• Training in usage of the resource

The following are examples of projects responsive to this NOFO. These are representative, but not exhaustive, examples.

• Consortium that provides screening services for voltage sensors and other probes for identifying changes in membrane potential or network modulatory states
• Resource that provides reliable multichannel microelectrodes to the neuroscience community that are compatible with other recording technologies, such as optical imaging and stimulation or MRI
• Imaging services for large-scale recording of neural activity from multiple brain areas or for large-scale sampling/manipulation of cellular activity with simultaneous whole-brain activity measurements
• Dissemination of novel miniaturized wireless imaging systems and serving as a core resource for researchers
• A resource that gathers, standardizes and streamlines the distribution of transgenic mouse models for neuroscience research

This NOFO will support applications which address one or more of the specific goals of the BRAIN Initiative, as described in the planning document "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision" and updated and enhanced in 2019 by "The BRAIN Initiative 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures". Applications are not limited to existing BRAIN Initiative investigators or to technologies previously developed using BRAIN Initiative or NIH funds, nor must the end user community be limited to investigators with BRAIN Initiative funding. End users may include those studying disease relevant mechanisms. Projects should address compelling needs of broad communities of investigators or should justify the impact and unmet opportunity of providing the services at smaller scales.

Proposed techniques, resources or approaches must be at a stage wherein the potential value for research is well established, through publications or other demonstration methods, and dissemination must occur by early in year 2. Projects focused on developing novel and unproven technologies are not responsive to this NOFO. Applicants developing new technologies are encouraged to submit to one of the BRAIN technology development NOFOs. Applications to develop web-accessible data archives are strongly recommended to consider funding through RFA-MH-25-110, “BRAIN Initiative: Data Archives for the BRAIN Initiative”. Please see https://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/funding/ for more details about these and other BRAIN Initiative programs.

Integration of proven techniques to produce new experimental systems, or application of existing technologies to produce new reagents such as genetic lines or constructs with an existing technology, are appropriate, but need to be described clearly with timelines for completion of development and testing. Clear value to the intended user group must be demonstrated in the application and dissemination must be planned by early year 2.

For projects proposing the development of novel technologies/resources with commercial potential, potential applicants should consider funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program or the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. Please see: seed..nih.gov/ for more details about these technology development programs.

Resources are expected to be free from any patent or licensing constraints that would unduly restrict academic research use and impede achieving the goals of this funding program. For resources requiring material from human subjects (e.g. DNA, fibroblasts, blood, tissue), broad sharing of the resource and any derivatives with academic and industry investigators is expected, consistent with achieving the goals of this program and consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and informed consents. In cases where the disseminated resource involves patented materials across several institutions, it is expected that these institutions utilize standard or model agreements in order to reduce negotiation cost and time.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the Scientific/Research Contact listed below to discuss the alignment of their proposed work with the goals of this NOFO, and the BRAIN Initiative Program.

Milestones

The success of the project will be facilitated by the adoption of clear, quantitative milestones with realistic and efficient timelines. Applications must include proposed milestones for each year of requested support, which will be evaluated as part of the review process. The milestones and timeline should include the timing and quantity of dissemination of the resource to the neuroscience community. Applications that fail to include annual milestones will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn before review. Final version of milestones will be agreed upon at the time of award. If justified, future year milestones may be revised based on data and information obtained in the current year.