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This RFA will support integrated, interdisciplinary research teams from prior BRAIN technology and/or integrated approaches teams, and/or new projects from the research community that focus on examining circuit functions related to behavior, using advanced and innovative technologies. The goal will be to support programs with a team science approach that can realize meaningful outcomes within 5-plus years. Awards will be made for 5 years, with a possibility of one renewal. Projects will incorporate overarching principles of circuit function in the context of specific neural systems underlying sensation, perception, emotion, motivation, cognition, decision-making, motor control, communication, or homeostasis. Applications should incorporate theory-/model-driven experimental design and should offer predictive models as deliverables. Applications should seek to understand circuits of the central nervous system by systematically controlling stimuli and/or behavior while actively recording and/or manipulating relevant dynamic patterns of neural activity and by measuring the resulting behaviors and/or perceptions. Applications are expected to employ approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs, and are encouraged to employ quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Applications will be required to manage their data and analysis methods in a prototype framework that will be developed and used in the proposed U19 project and exchanged with other BRAIN U19 awardees for further refinement and development. Model systems, including the possibility of multiple species ranging from invertebrates to humans, can be employed and should be appropriately justified. Programs should employ multi-component teams of research expertise - including neurobiologists, statisticians, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, and data scientists, as appropriate - that seek to cross boundaries of interdisciplinary collaboration.

HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND) persist in up to 50% of HIV-patients even when HIV replication is suppressed by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), which transformed HIV/AIDS from a fatal illness into a chronically managed long-term condition. HIV does not infect neurons, but infects microglia and macrophages in the brain, causing HAND associated neuropathology. HAND epitomizes a series of disorders include Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment (ANI), Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MND), and HIV-Associated Dementia (HAD). These neurocognitive deficits interfere with psychomotor speed and coordination, diminishing memory and executive functions, and reduce quality of life in long-standing aviremic HIV-positive patients. These clinical challenges mandate research for a better understanding of HIV neuropathology; however, currently there are no effective approaches for HIV-infected live human brain studies or realistic HIV-infected animal models for HIV neuropathology. Proposed projects MUST include the following components. Applications which lack these three components will be considered non-responsive to the FOA and will not be reviewed. The major thrust of the project MUST involve exploitation of induced microglia and cerebral organoids generated from patient derived iPSC lines to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND). At least one aim or sub-aim MUST also involve either 1. opioid, cannabinoid, methamphetamine, nicotinic, dopaminergic, or other signaling pathways relevant to addictive substance use, or 2. exposure to addictive substances, or 3. analysis of samples from patients that have used addictive substances or have SUDs.

The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applications for the AD/ADRD Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory ("Collaboratory", henceforth) to improve care for persons with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers through health systems. Health and long-term systems for this FOA are defined broadly and include organizations providing care across settings to include primary and specialty outpatient care, acute inpatient care, skilled nursing and other rehabilitation facilities, residential long-term care, and home and community-based services. Organizations may be traditional health care systems (e.g., health maintenance organizations, or HMOs), health insurance companies, managed care plans, home health care providers, memory clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, outpatient clinics, federally-designated health centers, hospitals, and other providers of acute and long-term care.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and VentureWell have come together to support and expand DEBUT, a competition that recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation. DEBUT challenges teams of students in undergraduate biomedical education to solve real-world problems in healthcare. Prizes of up to $20,000 will be awarded. Strong DEBUT submissions will demonstrate a mastery of analytical and design skills and capabilities; the ability to manage the product development process; the ability to work effectively in teams; and technical communication skills. Submissions will be judged on the following criteria: Significance of the problem being addressed Impact of the proposed solution on potential users and clinical care Innovative design Working prototype Additional prizes will be awarded to entries that also demonstrate: Market potential and economic feasibility Patentability

The intent of the FY19 FITBIR Analysis Award is to leverage this data to identify actionable insights for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of TBI. The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public. The anticipated total costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY19 JPC-6/CCCRP PH/TBI FITBIR Analysis Award will not exceed $750,000. Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions, for detailed funding information. The JPC-6/CCCRP expects to allot approximately $3M of the FY19 PH/TBIRP appropriation to fund approximately 4 FITBIR Analysis Award applications. Funding of applications received is contingent upon the availability of Federal funds for this program as well as the number of applications received, the quality and merit of the applications as evaluated by scientific and programmatic review, and the requirements of the Government. Funds to be obligated on any award resulting from this funding opportunity will be available for use for a limited time period based on the fiscal year of the funds. It is anticipated that awards made from this FY19 FITBIR Analysis Award funding opportunity will be funded with FY19 funds, which will expire for use on September 30, 2025

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) invites applications for Clinical Research Center Grants designed to advance the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of human communication disorders. For this announcement, Clinical Research is defined as research involving individuals with communication disorders or data/tissues from individuals with a communication disorder. Examples of such research include but are not limited to, studies of the prevention, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, management or epidemiology of a disease or disorder of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, or language. Proposal of clinical trial research is allowed but not required (optional) for this FOA

The society currently is accepting applications for its Pilot Grant Program, which provides grants to quickly test novel ideas that may serve to advance its mission of stopping MS progression, restore function, improve quality of life, and/or prevent MS. The program supports fundamental as well as applied studies, non-clinical or clinical in nature, including projects in patient management, care, and rehabilitation.

Ohio is home to approximately 26,000 individuals living with paralysis as a result of a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). According to the National SCI Statistical Center 66% of those individuals remain unemployed with each expected to manage lifetime healthcare costs of $1-3M. This represents a significant cost to the state and also imposes a severe burden on the quality of life for those living with this impairment. While there is research in pursuit of improved treatments to ameliorate the effects of paralysis, the field is significantly underfunded relative to similarly sized patient populations or disease with similar lifetime healthcare costs. While the scientific disciplines of neuroscience and biomedical engineering are making progress toward the development of new treatments, there is a lack of systematic and especially localized effort to guide these advances representative of the various stakeholders. The research funded through this process is specifically targeted to advance and accelerate the development of innovative treatments, product innovation and rehabilitative efforts that lead to the functional improvement of people living with spinal cord injuries. Research topics may include, but are not limited to, discovery science, pharmaceutical development, medical device design and implementation, and the development of novel rehabilitative approaches and techniques.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is issued by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in conjunction with the NIH Pain Consortium. It solicits R21 grant applications from institutions/organizations to perform innovative research that will elucidate the mechanisms underlying migraine, expand our current knowledge of the role of genetic, physiological, biopsychosocial, and environmental influences in migraine susceptibility and progression, and explore new therapeutic targets and therapies for acute migraine management and longer term prevention. 

Applications to the Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) are being solicited by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The execution management agent for this Program Announcement is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The NFRP was initiated in 1996 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit that promotes the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis (NF) including NF type 1 (NF1) and type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis.

Applications to the Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) are being solicited by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The execution management agent for this Program Announcement is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The NFRP was initiated in 1996 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit that promotes the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis (NF) including NF type 1 (NF1) and type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis.

Announcement supports applied and translational research to advance the development of knowledge and materiel products for rehabilitation and restoration of function following TBI. PIs should explain how their work will inform the development, refinement, and/or revision of existing standards of care, clinical recommendations, or guidelines. TBI is defined as being caused by (1) a direct blow or impact to the head, (2) a penetrating head injury, or (3) an exposure to external forces such as blast waves that disrupt the function of the brain. Not all blows to the head or exposure to external forces result in a TBI. The severity of TBI may range from "mild," a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to "severe," an extended period of unconsciousness or confusion after the injury. Definitions of TBI severity can be found in Table 1 of the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Concussion-Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The FY17/18 PH/TBIRP CTRR-CRA supports clinical research but not clinical trials. Supported research can include observational research studies. The Clinical Research Award (CTRR-CRA) is intended to support clinical research focused on understanding the clinical sequelae and mechanisms of recovery associated with TBI and TBI rehabilitation interventions. The overarching goals of this award are to address TBI-related impairments and deficits including sensory, sensorimotor, and cognitive dysfunction to (1) develop and validate rehabilitation outcome measures; (2) define and evaluate mechanisms of injury progression or recovery associated with rehabilitation interventions; and (3) improve clinician-driven assessment strategies to guide return-to-duty decision making.

TBI is defined as being caused by (1) a direct blow or impact to the head, (2) a penetrating head injury, or (3) an exposure to external forces such as blast waves that disrupt the function of the brain. Not all blows to the head or exposure to external forces result in a TBI. The severity of TBI may range from "mild," a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to "severe," an extended period of unconsciousness or confusion after the injury. Definitions of TBI severity can be found in Table 1 of the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Concussion-Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The FY17/18 PH/TBIRP CTRR-CRA supports clinical research but not clinical trials. Supported research can include observational research studies. The FY17/18 PH/TBIRP Complex TBI Rehabilitation Research - Clinical Research Award (CTRR-CRA) is intended to support clinical research focused on understanding the clinical sequelae and mechanisms of recovery associated with TBI and TBI rehabilitation interventions.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society mobilizes people and resources to find a cure for and address challenges faced by those affected by MS. To that end, the society is accepting applications for its Pilot Grant Program. The program funds high-risk pilot grants in support of novel ideas that may serve to advance its mission of stopping MS progression, restoring function, and improving quality of life for those with MS. The program supports fundamental as well as applied studies, both non-clinical or clinical in nature, including projects in patient management, care, and rehabilitation. One-year grants of up to $44,000 will be awarded to test innovative, cutting-edge ideas or untested methods, and to gather sufficient preliminary data that can be used to apply for longer-term funding. Researchers who have completed their postdoctoral training are invited to apply. Individuals who are currently postdoctoral fellows or the equivalent, or who are graduate/medical students are not eligible for support under this program. Pre-applications must be received no later than January 8, 2018.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications that focus on clarifying the relationship between delirium and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Specifically sought is research focusing on understanding why persons with ADRD are at increased risk to develop delirium, often with a worse prognosis compared to those without antecedent ADRD, and why patients who experience delirium are at higher risk to develop subsequent short- and/or long-term mild cognitive impairment or ADRD, often with an accelerated rate of cognitive decline compared to those without preceding delirium. Relevant research projects may focus on, but are not limited to, those that A) provide insight into possible common, sequential, causative, contributory and/or synergistic pathways underlying both ADRD and delirium, B) elucidate mechanisms that lead to the development of delirium against the background of aging and/or neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on use of appropriate animal models, C) identify risk factors for the onset and/or progression of delirium in those with ADRD and vice versa, D) diagnose and assess one condition in the setting of the other, E) identify putative phenotypes of patients with co-existing ADRD and delirium, or F) test pharmacologic and/or non-pharmacologic strategies to prevent, treat, or reduce the impact of delirium in patients with ADRD and vice versa. Research supported by this FOA is intended to provide mechanistic insight to improve risk assessment, diagnosis, phenotyping, prevention, and management approaches for both delirium and ADRD.

The purpose of the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to encourage research on the etiology of depressive symptoms that occur in the context of a sudden onset acute illness. Although it is known that depressive symptoms may linger and affect functional recovery long after physical recovery from an acute insult, there is a gap in knowledge about the pathobiology that may underlie these incident depressive symptoms. A greater understanding of the etiological factors that contribute to and/or mitigate a trajectory of depressive symptoms may inform a personalized, holistic approach to managing recovery from acute illness.

The Epilepsy Foundation has announced its seventh annual epilepsy "Shark Tank" competition for the most innovative ideas in epilepsy and seizure treatment and care. Some examples of novel ideas include a system to detect seizures with the capacity to provide early warning to the patient or family; a treatment that stops a seizure from progressing; a system that helps patients manage their daily treatment; a device that prevents physical injury that patients may experience when in seizure; or an entirely new product concept with the promise to dramatically improve the lives of people with epilepsy. Selected finalists will receive international recognition and compete for grants totaling $150,000 to support the development and commercialization of important new products, technologies, or therapeutic concepts. As many as six finalists will be selected to present at the 2018 Epilepsy Pipeline Conference (San Francisco, February 22-23, 2018). Each presenter will have five minutes to present the concept, followed by five minutes of questioning. The Shark Tank event will feature live voting among audience members and a panel of judges (Sharks) representative of industry, advocacy, investors, and the research and medical communities. The winning project, or projects, deemed to be the most innovative will be announced at the conclusion of the competition. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate an ability to move the proposed plan to completion, showing how the prize can accelerate any step along the path to market. Inventors who submitted ideas for previous Shark Tank competitions are encouraged to re-submit their ideas if substantial progress has been made.

This FOA encourages applications for exploratory clinical trials of investigational agents (drugs, biologics, surgical therapies or devices) that may contribute to the justification for and provide the data required for designing a future trial, for biomarker validation studies, or for proof of mechanism clinical studies. Diseases chosen for study should be based on the NINDS' strategic plan and clinical research interests (www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/areas/index.htm). Successful applicants will be given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure. Following peer review, NINDS will prioritize and order trials that are given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure. The NeuroNEXT Clinical Coordinating Center (CCC) will work with the successful applicant to efficiently implement the proposed study. The NeuroNEXT Data Coordinating Center (DCC) will provide statistical and data management support. The NeuroNEXT clinical sites will provide recruitment/retention support as well as on-site implementation of the clinical protocol.

The purpose of this research is to rigorously evaluate a clinical intervention in primary care and/or emergency departments to improve diagnosis, management, and treatment of pediatric mTBI using an experimental or quasi-experimental design.

As part of this mission, the foundation is seeking applications for scientific research projects with the potential to significantly advance the field toward an effective understanding of the mechanisms of cerebrovascular disease. TAAF grants respond to the cerebrovascular community's need for projects that highlight innovative research strategies that will support the development of novel cerebrovascular therapies, clinical management, and recovery for patients. To that end, grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to investigators at any level of experience. However, grant recipients will be expected to present their research at the Aneurysm and AVM Foundation's annual meeting or Awareness Walk event.