Group items tagged

Reissue of RFA-NS-18-032. The purpose of the NINDS Research Program Award (RPA) is to provide longer-term support and increased flexibility to Program Directors (PDs) /Principal Investigators (PIs) whose records of research achievement demonstrate their ability to make major contributions to neuroscience. RPAs will support the overall research programs of NINDS-funded investigators for up to 8 years, at a level commensurate with a PD/PI's recent NINDS support (Part 2, Section II) This greater funding stability will provide eligible investigators at nearly all career stages increased freedom and flexibility, allowing them to be more adventurous in their research, take greater risks, embark upon research that breaks new ground, undertake research projects that require a longer timeframe, and/or extend previous discoveries in new directions. Research supported through the RPA must be within the scope of the NINDS mission (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/mission.htm). Research activities outside of the NINDS mission, or traditionally supported by another NIH Institute or Center will not be considered through this program. Other anticipated benefits of the RPA include: A more stable funding environment, facilitating the pursuit of longer-term research goals; Flexible funding, enabling investigators to pursue research opportunities as they arise, not tied to specific aims; Reduced time spent writing grant applications and managing multiple grant awards, thereby allowing investigators to spend more time conducting and overseeing research; and More time for PDs/PIsto mentor junior scientists. Eligibility to apply through this FOA is limited to investigators who currently have at least one active NINDS R01 or R01 equivalent grant (defined here as R00, R01, R37, R56, DP1 or DP2 awards), and who have had an active R01 equivalent grant from NINDS in each of the past 5 years, with no more than one of those years in a no cost extension.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites applications for basic research to better characterize the affective, cognitive, social, and motivational parameters of impaired and intact decision making in both normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Research is sought that will characterize the extent to which basic behavioral and neural processes involved in decision-making are differentially impacted in normal aging and AD, investigate the influence of social factors on decision-making, and investigate the decision-making factors that render older adults (with or without cognitive impairment) vulnerable to financial exploitation and other forms of mistreatment and abuse. The FOA also invites applications to apply basic research on the processes involved in decision-making to the design of decision-supportive interventions for midlife and older adults with and without AD. Specific opportunities include the development of decision-supportive interventions to leverage cognitive, emotional and motivational strengths of these populations; tools to assess decisional capacity; strategies for simplifying choices and offering better defaults; and the promotion of timely adoption of optimal delegation practices (e.g., power of attorney, living wells, etc.).

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites applications for basic research to better characterize the affective, cognitive, social, and motivational parameters of impaired and intact decision making in both normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Research is sought that will characterize the extent to which basic behavioral and neural processes involved in decision-making are differentially impacted in normal aging and AD, investigate the influence of social factors on decision-making, and investigate the decision-making factors that render older adults (with or without cognitive impairment) vulnerable to financial exploitation and other forms of mistreatment and abuse. The FOA also invites applications to apply basic research on the processes involved in decision-making to the design of decision-supportive interventions for midlife and older adults with and without AD. Specific opportunities include the development of decision-supportive interventions to leverage cognitive, emotional and motivational strengths of these populations; tools to assess decisional capacity; strategies for simplifying choices and offering better defaults; and the promotion of timely adoption of optimal delegation practices (e.g., power of attorney, living wells, etc.).

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative funding opportunity announcement is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis and manipulation of complex circuits in large brains. Critical advances in the treatment of brain disorders in human populations are hindered by our lack of ability to monitor and manipulate circuitry in safe, minimally-invasive ways. Clinical intervention with novel cell and circuit specific tools will require extensive focused research designed to remove barriers to delivery of gene therapies. In addition to identification and removal of barriers, the need to specifically target dysfunctional circuitry poses additional challenges. Neuroscience has experienced an impressive influx of exciting new research tools in the past decade, especially since the launch of the BRAIN Initiative. However, the majority of these cutting-edge tools have been developed for use in model organisms, primarily rodents, fish and flies. These cutting-edge tools, such as viral delivery of genetic constructs, are increasingly adaptable to larger mammalian brains and more importantly are emerging as potential human therapeutic strategies for brain disorders. A pressing need to develop tools for use in large brains or those that are more directly relevant to the human brain is the focus of this initiative. The initiative will support initial proof of principle studies aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of this approach in humans and other mammalian species (non-human primate [NHP]/sheep/pigs).

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disorder of the brain and is the most common form of dementia of the elderly. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Prominent behavioral manifestations of AD include memory impairments and decline in other cognitive domains. Currently, at least five million Americans at age 65 and older suffer from AD, and it is projected that the number of new cases of AD will double by 2025. AD is clearly becoming a national health crisis affecting Americans across all regions of the country, and the total annual payments of health care for people with AD are projected to be more than $1 trillion in 2050. In response to this looming public health crisis, the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) was signed into law in 2011. The primary research goal of the NAPA is to prevent the onset of and develop effective treatments for AD by 2025.  As part of the strategic planning process to implement NAPA, NIH AD Research Summits were held in 2012 and 2015 and identified research priorities and strategies needed to accelerate basic research and the development of effective therapies. A FY2017 Alzheimer's disease bypass budget with milestones was published in 2015 to establish research and funding priorities in response to the NAPA and the AD Research Summits (https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/bypass-budget-FY 2017). This funding opportunity announcement was developed in response to the recommendations of the AD Research Summits to support interdisciplinary research to understand the heterogeneity and multifactorial etiology of AD.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disorder of the brain and is the most common form of dementia of the elderly. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Prominent behavioral manifestations of AD include memory impairments and decline in other cognitive domains.  Currently, at least five million Americans at age 65 and older suffer from AD, and it is projected that the number of new cases of AD will double by 2025. AD is clearly becoming a national health crisis affecting Americans across the country, and the total annual payments of health care for people with AD are projected to be more than $1 trillion in 2050. In response to this looming public health crisis, the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) was signed into law in 2011. The primary research goal of the NAPA is to prevent the onset of, and develop effective treatments for, AD by 2025. As part of the strategic planning process to implement NAPA, NIH AD Research Summits were held in 2012 and 2015 and identified research priorities and strategies needed to accelerate basic research and the development of effective therapies. A FY2017 Alzheimer's disease bypass budget with milestones was published in 2015 to establish research and funding priorities in response to the NAPA and the AD Research Summits (https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/bypass-budget-fy2017). This funding opportunity announcement was developed in response to the recommendations of the AD Research Summits and milestones published in the FY2017 Alzheimer's disease bypass budget to support interdisciplinary research to understand the heterogeneity and multifactorial etiology of AD. 

Scientific Research Center on Decision Neuroscience and Aging 2014 Grants For 2014, up to two grants for up to $20,000 will be awarded to provide researchers new to the area with resources for data collection, task development, and/or to add an older adult sample to an existing dataset. The overall goal is to provide the initial resources to support a larger grant application. Priority will be given to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Senior researchers new to the area will also be considered.

Scientific Research Center on Decision Neuroscience and Aging 2013 Grants For 2013, up to two grants for up to $20,000 will be awarded to provide researchers new to the area with resources for data collection, task development, and/or to add an older adult sample to an existing dataset. The overall goal is to provide the initial resources to support a larger grant application. Priority will be given to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Senior researchers new to the area will also be considered.

Research!America is pleased to announce an exciting new program to introduce and engage early-career scientists in research advocacy and science policy. The 2013 Research!America Advocacy Academy is a unique opportunity for postdoctoral fellows in the health and biomedical sciences to learn about how to best incorporate advocacy and effective communications into their role as a scientist. The 2013 class of up to 12 Research!America advocates will participate in a two-day Washington, DC, program from September 11-12, 2013. Participants will learn about the federal budget and appropriations process, tools for effective science communication and outreach as well as how to engage with elected representatives on scientific and research issues. The program includes visiting Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and congressional staff members, providing participants with a first-hand experience advocating for health research. Rounding out this unique Washington experience, participants will attend Research!America's National Health Research Forum where top leaders in government, industry, academia and patient organizations engage in moderated conversations on issues of importance to the research ecosystem. Upon completion of the program, participants will become Science Advocates for Research!America. Advocates will remain engaged with Research!America staff, receive ongoing action alerts and learn about ways to involve their home institution's research community in effective science advocacy. All travel expenses (transportation, lodging and meals) will be provided and arranged by Research!America through an educational grant provided by Pfizer. This year's program is limited to 12 exceptional postdoctoral researchers with a dedicated interest in becoming active advocates for science.

Invasive surgical procedures provide the unique ability to record and stimulate neurons within precisely localized brain structures in humans. Human studies using invasive technology are often constrained by a limited number of patients and resources available to implement complex experimental protocols and are rarely aggregated in a manner that addresses research questions with appropriate statistical power. Therefore, this RFA seeks applications to assemble diverse, integrated, multi-disciplinary teams that cross boundaries of interdisciplinary collaboration to overcome these fundamental barriers and to investigate high-impact questions in human neuroscience. Projects should maximize opportunities to conduct innovative in vivo neuroscience research made available by direct access to brain recording and stimulating from invasive surgical procedures. Projects should employ approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs and quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Awardees will join a consortium work group, coordinated by the NIH, to identify consensus standards of practice, including neuroethical considerations, to collect and provide data for ancillary studies, and to aggregate and standardize data for dissemination among the wider scientific community.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages exploratory/developmental research grant applications, proposing the development of innovative, collaborative research projects on brain and other nervous system function and disorders throughout life, relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Research on neurological, mental, behavioral, alcohol and substance use disorders may span the full range of science from basic to implementation research. Scientists in the United States (U.S.) or upper-middle income countries (UMICs) are eligible to partner with scientists in LMIC institutions. Scientists in upper middle-income LMICs (UMICs) are also eligible to partner directly with scientists at other LMIC institutions with or without out a US partner. Income categories used are as defined by the World Bank at http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups. These grants are expected to foster the development of more comprehensive research programs that contribute to the long-term goals of building sustainable research capacity in LMICs to address nervous system development, function and impairment throughout life and to lead to diagnostics, prevention, treatment and implementation strategies. The proposed work may also contribute to developing a base for research networking and evidence-based policy beyond the specific research project.

Through the program, grants of up to $200,000 will be awarded to pilot studies that propose new analytical approaches and/or tools to modeling seizure propagation in a brain network. The foundation invites proposals that seek to test novel, unconventional hypotheses or that pursue major methodological or technical challenges in network modeling for epilepsy. The institute is especially interested in funding innovative multi-scale approaches to brain mapping and therefore encourages proposals that can begin to correlate standard measures of macro-network activity (i.e., EEG and/or fMRI) with micro-physiological mechanisms (such as oxygen, microdialysis of extracellular fluids, local field potentials, etc). Through this initiative, the foundation seeks to support interdisciplinary approaches involving clinicians, neuroscientists, computer scientists, and mathematicians able to facilitate different perspectives and supports the development of preliminary data visualization tools for clinicians that enable them to better understand different types of seizure propagation networks and better tailor care to the individual in the future.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) supports efforts to disseminate resources and to integrate them into neuroscience research practice.  Projects should be highly relevant to specific goals of the BRAIN Initiative, goals that are described in the planning document "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision." They should engage in one or more of the following activities: distribution of tools and reagents; user training on the usage of new technologies or techniques; providing access to existing technology platforms and specialized facilities; minor improvements to increase the scale/efficiency of resource production and delivery; minor adaptations to meet the needs of a user community. Applications strictly focused on technology or software development, rather than dissemination of an existing resource, are not responsive to this FOA. Refinements to microscopes or tools necessary to customize them to the experimental needs of the end users is allowed. Projects should address compelling needs of neuroscience researchers working toward the goals of the BRAIN 2025 report that are otherwise unavailable or impractical in their current form.

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) supports efforts to disseminate resources and to integrate them into neuroscience research practice. Projects should be highly relevant to specific goals of the BRAIN Initiative, goals that are described in the planning document "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision." They should engage in one or more of the following activities: distribution of tools and reagents; user training on the usage of new technologies or techniques; providing access to existing technology platforms and specialized facilities; minor improvements to increase the scale/efficiency of resource production and delivery; minor adaptations to meet the needs of a user community. Applications strictly focused on technology or software development, rather than dissemination of an existing resource, are not responsive to this FOA. Refinements to microscopes or tools necessary to customize them to the experimental needs of the end users are allowed. Projects should address compelling needs of neuroscience researchers working toward the goals of the BRAIN 2025 report that are otherwise unavailable or impractical in their current form.

The Organization for Autism Research is inviting applications for its Graduate Research Grant program. Established in 2004, the grant program is intended to encourage and support students conducting research pursuant to graduate and post-graduate studies in disciplines related to assessment, intervention, and support of learners with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded for projects related to the analysis, evaluation, or comparison of assessment models, treatment models, or service systems; applied aspects of early and/or school-based education, behavioral, or communication intervention; adult issues such as containing education, employment, housing models and later intervention; and/or issues related to family support, social and community integration, and assessment and intervention with challenging behavior. Priority will be given to studies that will likely produce practical and clearly objective results that may aid parents, families, professionals, and people with autism to make more fully informed choices that will lead to healthier and happier lives. International students are eligible to apply.

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. The new tools and technologies should inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools that can be used in a number of species/model organisms rather than those restricted to a single species are highly desired. Applications that provide approaches that break through existing technical barriers to substantially improve current capabilities are highly encouraged.

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. The new tools and technologies should inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools that can be used in a number of species/model organisms rather than those restricted to a single species are highly desired. Applications that provide approaches that break through existing technical barriers to substantially improve current capabilities are highly encouraged.

The NINDS recognizes the unique and compelling need to promote diversity in participation in neuroscience research and expects these efforts to diversify the neuroscience research workforce to lead to the recruitment of the most talented researchers from all groups. The purpose of the NINDS Faculty Development Award to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience Research is to provide junior faculty support and protected time (up to three years) for an intensive, supervised career development experience in neuroscience research. The goal of the NINDS K01 is to diversify the pool of independent neuroscience research investigators and to enhance the probability of success in obtaining independent NIH or other independent research support. Individuals from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research are eligible for support under this award if they have doctoral research degrees (Ph.D. or equivalent) and are in the first 3 years of a faculty position at the time of award.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage investigators to pursue translational activities and clinical trials to treat pain with innovative, targeted, and non-addictive diagnostic and/or therapeutic devices that improve patient outcomes and decrease or eliminate the need to prescribe opioids. 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 or Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a Non-Significant Risk (NSR) study, as well as a subsequent small clinical trial (e.g., Early Feasibility Study). The clinical trial 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 is a milestone-driven cooperative agreement program and will involve participation of NIH program staff in the development of the project plan and monitoring of research progress. This FOA will leverage Public-Private Partnership Programs (PPP) initiated under the NIH BRAIN Initiative, the Office of Strategic Coordination The Common Funds Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) Program, and the HEAL Initiative. These programs include agreements (Memoranda of Understanding, MOU) with a number of device manufacturers willing to make such devices available, including devices and capabilities not yet market approved but appropriate for clinical research. In general, it is expected that the devices' existing safety and utility data will be sufficient to enable new IRB NSR or FDA IDE approval without the need for significant additional non-clinical data.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and National Institute on Aging (NIA) intend to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for a large prospective clinical research study to determine the specific subsets of stroke events that predict cognitive impairment and dementia in post-stroke populations in the United States, including in health disparities populations, and what additional clinical factors and comorbidities along the AD/ADRD spectrum may causally synergize with stroke to result in (or prevent) cognitive impairment and dementia outcomes. The goals of this initiative are to determine the association between specific subsets of stroke events and subsequent cognitive impairment and dementia in post-stroke populations in the United States, including in health disparities populations; to identify additional clinical factors and comorbidities that may affect these associations; and to contribute to development and validation of clinical-trial ready diagnostic and progression biomarkers for post-stroke dementia. It is expected that the study design will also allow for determination of interrelationships (cross-sectional and longitudinal) among the stroke event, overall cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease and risk factors (including sex, racial, and ethnic differences), dementia-relevant genetic variants (including ApoE) and mutations (e.g. in Notch 3) previously associated with Alzheimer's disease (e.g. APP, PS1, PS2, PICALM, CLU, TREM2), cognitive trajectories including decline and resistance to decline, as well as amyloid and tau biomarkers of Alzheimers pathology during life.

This FOA provides funding to conduct pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and in vivo efficacy studies to demonstrate that proposed therapeutic agent(s) have sufficient biological activity to warrant further development to treat neurological disorders that fall under the NINDS mission. Therapeutic agents may include but are not limited to small molecules, biologics or biotechnology-derived products. This FOA is part of a suite of Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE) to advance projects to the point where they can meet the entry criteria for the NINDS Cooperative Research to Enable and Advance Translational Enterprises for Biologics program (CREATE Bio) program for biologics, biotechnology products, Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network for small molecules, or other translational programs.