RFA-EY-21-001: BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2021.
National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on September 21, 2023.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed September 20, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNEI
- Median yearly award$224,100
- Typical project length3 years
- R21, Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant. Early, exploratory ideas that may not have preliminary data yet, usually for up to two years. Other open R21 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-EY-21-001 were run by National Eye Institute (NEI, 15 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-EY-21-001 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-EY-25-001 | December 9, 2024 | Closed June 15, 2026 | Closed |
| RFA-EY-23-001 | September 19, 2023 | Closed December 8, 2024 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | January 15, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | September 21, 2023 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | October 21, 2023 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- 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 (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 10 programs behind this notice (73% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
A central goal of the BRAIN Initiative is to understand how electrical and chemical signals code information in neural circuits and give rise to sensations, thoughts, emotions and actions. While currently available technologies can provide some understanding, they may not be sufficient to accomplish this goal. For example, non-invasive technologies are low resolution and/or provide indirect measures such as blood flow, which are imprecise; invasive technologies can provide information at the level of single neurons producing the fundamental biophysical signals, but they can only be applied to tens or hundreds of neurons, out of a total number in the human brain estimated at 85 billion. Other BRAIN FOAs seek to develop novel technology (RFA-NS-17-003) or to optimize existing technology ready for in-vivo proof-of-concept testing and collection of preliminary data (RFA-NS-17-004) for recording or manipulating neural activity on a scale that is beyond what is currently possible. This FOA seeks applications for unique and innovative technologies that are in an even earlier stage of development than that sought in other FOAs, including new and untested ideas that are in the initial stages of conceptualization. In addition to experimental approaches, the support provided under this FOA might enable calculations, simulations, computational models, or other mathematical techniques for demonstrating that the signal sources and/or measurement technologies are theoretically capable of meeting the demands of large-scale recording or manipulation of circuit activity in humans or in animal models. The support might also be used for building and testing phantoms, prototypes, in-vitro or other bench-top models in order to validate underlying theoretical assumptions in preparation for future FOAs aimed at testing in animal models.
Funded under RFA-EY-21-001 so far
NIH funded 15 projects under RFA-EY-21-001 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 12 institutions. The median yearly award was $224,100.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curved Implantation of Flexible Microelectrode Arrays for High-Density Mapping of Nonlinear Brain Structures and Circuits | Johns Hopkins University | 2026 | $155,569 |
| Computational volumetric one-photon voltage imaging in rodents | Rockefeller University | 2026 | $169,500 |
| Ultrasonic-tagged remote interferometric flowmetry for brain activity | Hunter College | 2025 | $196,250 |
| Multiplexed Sensing and Control of Neuromodulators and Peptides in the Awake Brain | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | 2025 | $216,125 |
| Next Generation Temporal Interference Stimulation for Non-Invasive Neuromodulation | Old Dominion University | 2025 | $160,000 |
| Massively Parallel Optoacoustic Retinal Stimulation at Micrometer-Resolution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) | 2025 | $207,650 |
| Mechanoluminescent nanomaterials for optogenetic neuromodulation | University of California Riverside | 2024 | $281,240 |
| Unlocking the potential of High-speed widefield Imaging | University of California Santa Barbara | 2024 | $176,786 |
Who has won Aging Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Aging Research (93.866) awarded $19 billion across 11,026 grant awards, an average of $1.7 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 337 | $575 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 242 | $574 million |
| University of Southern California | California | 203 | $572 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 210 | $556 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 232 | $538 million |
Who has won Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (93.853) awarded $9.1 billion across 8,641 grant awards, an average of $1.0 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The General Hospital Corporation | Massachusetts | 203 | $288 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 248 | $277 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 230 | $276 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 188 | $226 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 179 | $221 million |
Who has won Mental Health Research Grants grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mental Health Research Grants (93.242) awarded $8.8 billion across 6,785 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 185 | $371 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 200 | $297 million |
| University of California, Los Angeles | California | 176 | $234 million |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 144 | $212 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 149 | $211 million |
Other programs behind this notice
- Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs
- Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research
- Vision Research
- Alcohol Research Programs
- Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders
- Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health
- Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-EY-21-001 still open?
No. It closed on September 21, 2023.
Who can apply for BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for BRAIN Initiative: New Concepts and Early-Stage Research for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R21) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed September 21, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
Who has been funded under RFA-EY-21-001?
NIH RePORTER lists 15 projects funded under RFA-EY-21-001 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 12 institutions. The most were at Old Dominion University, Boston University (Charles River Campus), Cornell University.
Who has won Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The University of Iowa. The program made 2,231 awards worth $2.1 billion in that time.
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