Well Told Grants

Grants / Department of Health and Human Services / National Institutes of Health

RFA-NS-25-021: BRAIN Initiative: Next-Generation Devices for Recording and Modulation in the Human Central Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)

Closed Closed September 28, 2026 Opportunity RFA-NS-25-021

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 2024.

National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on September 28, 2026.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed November 5, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.

About this NIH notice

Projects funded under RFA-NS-25-021 were run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, 2 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-NS-25-021 in the NIH Guide.

Other notices with this title

National Institutes of Health has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
RFA-NS-24-016March 20, 2024Closed November 4, 2024Closed

Key dates

PostedNovember 5, 2024
DeadlineSeptember 28, 2026
Archived by Grants.govNovember 3, 2026

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

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; 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.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The purpose of this announcement is to encourage investigators to pursue translational activities and small clinical studies to advance the development of therapeutic, and diagnostic devices for disorders that affect the nervous or neuromuscular systems. Activities supported in this program include implementation of clinical prototype devices, non-clinical safety and efficacy testing, design verification and validation activities, obtaining an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for a Significant Risk (SR) study, as well as a subsequent small clinical study. The clinical study is expected to provide information about the device function or final design that cannot be practically obtained through additional non-clinical assessments (e.g., bench top or animal studies) due to the novelty of the device or its intended use. This FOA is a milestone-driven cooperative agreement program and will involve participation of NIH program staff in negotiating the final project plan before award and monitoring of research progress.

Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services.

Funded under RFA-NS-25-021 so far

NIH funded 2 projects under RFA-NS-25-021 in fiscal 2026, at 2 institutions. The median yearly award was $516,020.

Recently funded projects
ProjectInstitutionFiscal yearAward
Spinal Cord Neuromodulation Outcomes in Restless Legs Syndrome (NO-RLS) UG3University of Alabama at Birmingham2026$644,394
Multisite closed loop DBS for Chronic Pain UG3University of California, San Francisco2026$387,647

From NIH RePORTER, which lists each project once per fiscal year it was funded. Amounts are the yearly award.

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.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The Regents of the University of California, San FranciscoCalifornia337$575 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York242$574 million
University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia203$572 million
The Washington UniversityMissouri210$556 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan232$538 million

Top states: California ($3.4 billion), New York ($2.0 billion), Massachusetts ($1.8 billion), Pennsylvania ($1.0 billion), Texas ($912 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.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The General Hospital CorporationMassachusetts203$288 million
The Regents of the University of California, San FranciscoCalifornia248$277 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland230$276 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York188$226 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan179$221 million

Top states: California ($1.4 billion), New York ($926 million), Massachusetts ($906 million), Pennsylvania ($626 million), Texas ($499 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.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Yale UnivConnecticut185$371 million
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationPennsylvania200$297 million
University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia176$234 million
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York144$212 million
The Washington UniversityMissouri149$211 million

Top states: California ($1.4 billion), Massachusetts ($1.1 billion), New York ($1.1 billion), Pennsylvania ($667 million), Connecticut ($422 million).

Other programs behind this notice

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-NS-25-021 still open?

No. It closed on September 28, 2026.

Who can apply for BRAIN Initiative: Next-Generation Devices for Recording and Modulation in the Human Central Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)?

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: Next-Generation Devices for Recording and Modulation in the Human Central Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)?

Closed September 28, 2026. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

Who has been funded under RFA-NS-25-021?

NIH RePORTER lists 2 projects funded under RFA-NS-25-021 in fiscal 2026, at 2 institutions. The most were at University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California, San Francisco.

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.

Similar open grants