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

BRAIN Initiative: Clinical Studies to Advance Next-Generation Devices for Recording and Modulation in the Human Central Nervous System

Forecast Expected deadline January 28, 2027 Opportunity RFA-NS-28-006

• Award ceilingnot stated
• Award floornot stated
• Expected awards3
• Total funding$10.0 million
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

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Who can apply

This opportunity is open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.

• 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 ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).

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

Is this a realistic fit?

• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative along with other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to encourage investigators to pursue first-in-human or early-stage clinical studies for recording and/or stimulating devices to treat central nervous system disorders and better understand the human brain. This NOFO will be a part of a milestone-driven program, involving collaborative activities with the program officer(s)/director(s) assigned to the funded projects and joint responsibility for the successful management of the program post-award. This NOFO will allow participation in the NIH BRAIN Initiative Public Private Partnership Program which aims to facilitate partnerships between clinical investigators and manufacturers of latest-generation stimulating and/or recording devices to conduct clinical research in the CNS. Through the PPP, the BRAIN Initiative is interested in reducing barriers to negotiating such partnerships and ensuring that new clinical studies leverage manufacturers' existing data. Data demonstrating safety and utility of these devices are very costly to obtain and pose a substantial barrier to research progress. Applications may be Non-Significant Risk (NSR), such as non-invasive devices, or Significant Risk (SR) requiring an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA, such as chronic implants. The clinical study is expected to provide data to answer key questions about the function or final design of a device and 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. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.

Category: Health.

How to apply

1. Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
2. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
3. Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.

Questions go to BRAIN Initiative Devices, NINDS-Devices@nih.gov, Please contact via e-mail..

Open the official notice