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The BrightFocus Foundation provides research funds for U.S. and international researchers pursuing high-risk studies that illuminate areas for which there currently is little understanding, helping to bring to light crucial knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. The organization's mission is to save mind and sight by funding innovative research worldwide and by promoting better health through education. To that end, the foundation is accepting applications for its Alzheimer's Disease Research and National Glaucoma Research programs. 1) Alzheimer's Disease Research: Grants of up to $300,000 over three years will be awarded to researchers for innovative investigator-initiated research projects. The program is designed to give scientists the opportunity to develop the preliminary data necessary to be considered competitive for larger government or corporate types of sponsorship. Applications must be received no later than October 18, 2017. 2) National Glaucoma Program: Grants of up to $150,000 over two years will be awarded to researchers for innovative investigator-initiated glaucoma-related research projects. The program is designed to give scientists the opportunity to develop the preliminary data necessary to be considered competitive for larger government or corporate types of sponsorship. Typically these awards are made to junior investigators, or to more established investigators who are proposing particularly innovative research.

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.

This FOA encourages preclinical and clinical research to study whether, and how, different neurodegenerative disease processes interact with one another to initiate and/or hasten progression of neuropathology and dementia.

The Parkinson's Disease Digital Biomarker DREAM Challenge is a first of its kind challenge, designed to benchmark methods for the processing of sensor data for development of digital signatures reflective of Parkinson's Disease. Participants will be provided with raw sensor (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer) time series data recorded during the performance of pre-specified motor tasks, and will be asked to extract data features which are predictive of PD pathology. In contrast to traditional DREAM challenges, this one will focus on feature extraction rather than predictive modeling, and submissions will be evaluated based on their ability to predict disease phenotype using an array of standard machine learning algorithms.

Long-term misuse and chronic exposure to abused substances can produce widespread changes in brain structure and function. Although much progress has been made, additional research is still needed to identify the neurobiological changes that result from substance use, and how these changes contribute to substance use disorders. The overarching goals of the research areas described in this FOA are to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders, with special emphasis on identifying changes and neuroadaptations that occur during dependence, withdrawal, and relapse to chronic substance use. An understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying substance use disorders can help to identify targets for prevention and treatment interventions. Research utilizing basic, translational, or clinical approaches is appropriate.

Despite significant scientific advancements made in substance use disorder research over the last century, the causes and consequences of drug use in later life remain poorly understood. The intent of this funding opportunity announcement is to support innovative research that examines aspects of marijuana and prescription opioid and benzodiazepine use in adults aged 50 and older. This FOA encourages research that examines the determinants of these types of drug use and/or characterizes the resulting neurobiological alterations, associated behaviors, and public health consequences. This initiative will focus on two distinct populations of older adults: individuals with earlier onset of drug use who are now entering this stage of adult development or individuals who initiate drug use after the age of 50. Applications are encouraged to utilize broad methodologies ranging from basic science, clinical, and epidemiological approaches. The insights gleaned from this initiative are critical to our understanding of the determinants of drug use in later life, as well as its consequences in the aging brain and on behavior. This knowledge may have the potential to identify risk factors and to guide clinical practices in older populations.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications proposing the innovative analysis of existing social science, behavioral, administrative, and neuroimaging data to study the etiology and epidemiology of drug using behaviors (defined as alcohol, tobacco, prescription and other drug) and related disorders, prevention of drug use and HIV, and health service utilization. This FOA encourages the analyses of public use and other extant community-based or clinical datasets to their full potential in order to increase our knowledge of etiology, trajectories of drug using behaviors and their consequences including morbidity and mortality, risk and resilience in the development of psychopathology, strategies to guide the development, testing, implementation, and delivery of high quality, effective and efficient services for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse and HIV.

The National Institute on Aging is seeking applications on systems biology approaches using non-mammalian laboratory animal models to increase our understanding of the basic biology underpinning neurodegeneration. It is expected that research supported under this FOA will provide new insights into molecular networks that might be involved in causing, amplifying or protecting against neurodegeneration, and that, in turn, might ultimately contribute to Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. Importantly, a major goal of this FOA is to use interaction and regulatory networks produced and analyzed using systems biology to gain these new insights. Because this FOA is directed toward discovery, currently employed genetically modified laboratory animals used to study AD are not required, although they may be used. Because this FOA requires systems biology approaches, data used to build interaction or regulatory networks may also come from humans or other mammals in which AD, related dementias, or aging-related cognitive decline have been observed. This FOA will only support studies using non-mammalian laboratory animal models; studies involving humans or experiments with mammals will not be allowed under this FOA.

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience supports innovative research designed to bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated. To that end, the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience invites Letters of Intent for its 2018 McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience awards. The program encourages and supports scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to the understanding of brain function. McKnight is interested in how a new technology may be used to monitor, manipulate, analyze, or model brain function at any level, from the molecular to the entire organism. Technology may take any form, from biochemical tools to instruments to software and mathematical approaches. Because the program seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available to the neurosciences, research based primarily on existing techniques will not be considered. A goal of the Technological Innovations awards is to foster collaboration between the neurosciences and other disciplines; therefore, collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are explicitly invited.

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.

The purpose of the BRAIN Initiative Fellows (F32) program is to enhance the research training of promising postdoctorates, early in their postdoctoral training period, who have the potential to become productive investigators in research areas that will advance the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. Applications are encouraged in any research area that is aligned with the BRAIN Initiative, including neuroethics. Applicants are expected to propose research training in an area that clearly complements their predoctoral research. Formal training in analytical tools appropriate for the proposed research is expected to be an integral component of the research training plan. In order to maximize the training potential of the F32 award, this program encourages applications from individuals who have not yet completed their terminal doctoral degree and who expect to do so within 12 months of the application due date. On the application due date, candidates may not have completed more than 12 months of postdoctoral training.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites research grant applications to decipher pathways and mechanisms responsible for HIV-1 induced central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction seen in virally suppressed HIV-1 positive patients, by understanding the causal role played by altered neuronal circuits, neuronal receptors and neuronal networks. Basic and translational research in domestic and international settings are of interest. Multidisciplinary research teams and collaborative alliances are encouraged but not required. This RFA [RFA-MH-18-610] uses the R01 grant mechanism while the companion RFA [RFA-MH-18-611] uses the R21 mechanism. High risk/high payoff projects that lack preliminary data may be most appropriate for the R21 [RFA-MH-18-611] mechanism, while applicants with preliminary data and a discrete, specified, circumscribed project can apply using the R01 [RFA-MH-18-610] mechanism.

The Parkinson's Foundation is inviting applications from new investigators for its PDF-PSG Mentored Clinical Research Award. One $50,000 grant will be awarded for a one-year project in patient-oriented research in Parkinson's disease or other Parkinsonian disorders under the mentorship of an experienced investigator. The goal of the award is to provide funding for an investigator who has the potential to become an independent researcher. To be eligible, applicants should be clinicians and scientists who are within five years of having completed formal training. Fellows may apply.

The purpose of the BRAIN Initiative Fellows (F32) program is to enhance the research training of promising postdoctorates, early in their postdoctoral training period, who have the potential to become productive investigators in research areas that will advance the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. Applications are encouraged in any research area that is aligned with the BRAIN Initiative, including neuroethics. Applicants are expected to propose research training in an area that clearly complements their predoctoral research. Formal training in analytical tools appropriate for the proposed research is expected to be an integral component of the research training plan. In order to maximize the training potential of the F32 award, this program encourages applications from individuals who have not yet completed their terminal doctoral degree and who expect to do so within 12 months of the application due date. On the application due date, candidates may not have completed more than 12 months of postdoctoral training.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications to study the ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI) of human genome research in African populations. Of particular interest are projects that propose focused bioethical, legal, and social science analyses of new or emerging issues.

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.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) supports high impact efforts to make resources available to neuroscience researchers. Projects should engage in one or more of the following activities: facilitating access to cutting edge reagents or techniques, dissemination of resources to new user groups, or innovative approaches to increase the scale/efficiency of resource production and delivery. Applications focused primarily on technology or software development are not responsive to this FOA, as the focus is on dissemination or provision of resources. Use of existing technologies to develop new reagents or genetic lines of significant value to the research community may be appropriate. Projects should address compelling needs of broad communities of neuroscience researchers or should offer unique services that otherwise would be unavailable. Projects must support the NINDS mission.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences encourages innovative, interactive Program Project grant applications from institutions/organizations that propose to conduct research which aims to solve a significant biological problem, important for the mission of NIGMS, through a collaborative approach involving outstanding scientists. The Program Project grant is designed to support research in which the funding of several interdependent projects as a group offers significant scientific advantages over support of these same projects as individual regular research grants.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage cooperative agreement (U54) applications from multidisciplinary groups of investigators to accelerate the rate of progress in determining the functional, pharmacological, neuronal network and whole animal consequences of genetic variants discovered in patients with various types of epilepsy and to develop strategies for establishing diagnostic criteria and identifying potential targets for intervention.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement [FOA] submitted through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to stimulate the development and validation of novel tools and analytical methods to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain. This FOA complements previous and ongoing cell-census and tool development efforts initiated under BRAIN, RFA-MH-14-215 and RFA-MH-14-216, that have focused almost exclusively on neuronal cells. The cutting-edge tools and methods developed under this opportunity should focus specifically on providing improved points of entry into non-neuronal cell-types (glial and vascular) to enable their inventory and characterization within the CNS and help define how these cells interact among each other and with neuronal cells to impact functional circuitries. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology/method and demonstrating its advantage over currently available approaches will be an essential feature of a successful application. Tools that can be used in several species or model organisms rather than in a single species are especially desirable.