The BRAIN Initiative and the neuroscience field as a whole are generating massive and diverse research data across different modalities, spatiotemporal scales and species in efforts to advance our understanding of the brain. The data types are being produced through development and application of innovative technologies in high-throughput -omics profiling, optical microscopy, electron microscopy, electrophysiological recording, macroscale neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and others. The BRAIN Initiative has made significant investments in the development of an infrastructure to make data available to the research community in a useful way. This infrastructure includes data archives, data standards, and software for data integration, analysis and machine learning.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages secondary analysis of the large amounts of existing data related to the BRAIN Initiative. The data do not need to be held in one of the funded BRAIN Initiative data archives, but the data must be held in a data archive that is readily accessible to the research community. Support will be provided for innovative analysis of relevant existing datasets using conventional or novel analytic methods, data science techniques, and machine learning approaches. Support may also be requested to prepare and submit existing data into any of the BRAIN Initiative data archives. Investigators should not underestimate the time and effort that may be necessary to curate or harmonize data.
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), in support of the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, aims to support early stage development of entirely new and novel noninvasive human brain imaging technologies and methods that will lead to transformative advances in our understanding of the human brain. The FOA solicits unusually bold and potentially transformative approaches and supports small-scale, proof-of-concept development based on exceptionally innovative, original and/or unconventional concepts.
Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation and a rich set of technical approaches for understanding complex neurobiological systems, building on the theory, methods, and findings of computer science, neuroscience, and numerous other disciplines. Through the CRCNS program, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) support collaborative activities that will advance the understanding of nervous system structure and function, mechanisms underlying nervous system disorders, and computational strategies used by the nervous system.
Scientists and patient advocacy groups often use a series of photos, commissioned by NEI some thirty years ago, when they wish to depict the visual experience of patients suffering from blinding diseases. At the time they were created, these images reflected the field's understanding of visual perception for such patients. But the field has advanced considerably since then, and these static images are considered overly simplistic, inaccurate, and generally unsatisfactory. At the same time, technology has evolved to where it is possible to use video and virtual reality to more authentically demonstrate (or even simulate) the experience of have a blinding disease.
As part of the efforts of the NEI 50th Anniversary Planning Committee, the institute seeks the support of experts in blinding diseases, visual psychophysics, and video/virtual reality production to create a scientifically accurate and clinically authentic blindness simulation "experience" that can be used for education, public advocacy, and research purposes and a series of short videos that can be posted online for education and public outreach.
This FOA invites applications that propose the comprehensive functional validation of newly identified therapeutic target candidates for Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRDs). This FOA seeks to promote critical target validation approaches to help de-risk subsequent translational research and accelerate the advancement of novel therapies for ADRD. Target(s) or molecular pathway(s) to be considered for validation must have been already identified using tissue expression or genetic data generated in human samples. In its initial phase, this FOA provided support for up to two years (UG3 stage) for the development of customized technologies, models, and protocols to modulate the expression or activity of target candidate(s) in cells or tissues and monitor their functional biological consequences in in vitro or in vivo disease models. Upon demonstration of technical feasibilities, a second phase (UH3 stage) will carefully and reproducibly measure and cross-validate the impact of the target modulation in different modalities across collaborating laboratories using the NIH rigor and reproducibility guidelines. Applicants responding to this FOA must address objectives for both the UG3 and UH3 phases and are expected to have a substantial collaborative effort between independents laboratories. This FOA is not specific for any one or group within the ADRD spectrum of disorders. Disorders covered in these applications are frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), Lewy body dementias (LBD) (including dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)), Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), mixed dementias including the associated diagnostic challenges of multiples etiology dementias (MED).
DARPA seeks proposals to design, build, demonstrate, and validate a nonsurgical neural interface system to broaden the applicability of neural interfaces to the able-bodied warfighter. The final technology aims to enable neural recording and stimulation with sub-millimeter spatial resolution. See attached BAA package for full details.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages research grant applications directed toward developing next-generation human cell-derived assays that replicate complex nervous system architectures and physiology with improved fidelity over current capabilities. This includes technologies that do not rely on the use of human fetal tissue, as described in NOT-OD-19-042. Supported projects will be expected to enable future studies of complex nervous system development, function and aging in healthy and disease states.
The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP), which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research and dissemination and utilization activities to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). The purpose of this particular DRRP is to generate new knowledge about the effectiveness of interventions to improve college education and employment outcomes of people with serious mental illness or traumatic brain injury.
The Course Hero-Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching will support rising stars in the academy who love teaching, demonstrate excellence as educators, and are making their mark as exceptional researchers, poised to shape their fields. Designed for young scholars working towards tenure, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship is a "genius grant" that will emphasize the balance between scholarly excellence and commitment to teaching practice that draws on new approaches to pedagogy, creating a new level of engagement for students in and beyond the classroom. In short, Fellows will be emerging heroes in their fields, on a clear trajectory to become great college educators.
In its inaugural year, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship will identify five outstanding junior faculty members. Fellows will receive a one-year grant of $40,000-approximately $30,000 to support the engagement of a student assistant and the balance to be used for research and travel support.
Exceptional candidates teach in ways that
build student confidence and mastery of a subject;
encourage critical thinking;
explore foundational concepts through the lens of broader themes and global events;
promote the power of learning communities beyond the classroom;
leverage technology to complement the classroom experience;
consider and serve different learning styles;
prepare students for lifelong learning; and
can serve as replicable teaching models for other educators.
Selection takes place in June 2018. The five Fellows will be invited to attend the Course Hero Education Summit in July 2018, where their Fellowships will be announced.
The PRARP New Investigator Research Award (NIRA) mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY17. The intent of the FY17 PRARP NIRA is to support early-career investigators interested in novel research efforts or new technologies within TBI and AD/ADRD in support of the PRARP's mission (see Section II.A, Program Description). The FY17 PRARP NIRA is open to Principal Investigators (PIs) within 3 years of their first independent faculty position, from any field or discipline. As part of the application, the PI should demonstrate that the study team has experience in both TBI and AD/ADRD research. Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged. Preliminary data may come from the PI's published work, pilot data, or from peer-reviewed literature. Note that PIs will be required to verify their eligibility for this award. The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY17 PRARP NIRA will not exceed $225,000. The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to encourage research grant applications that propose to develop or substantially modify existing cutting-edge tools that will advance prenatal and/or pediatric hydrocephalus research. The primary objective of this FOA is to remove barriers to hydrocephalus research that are due to scarcity of tools to investigate both the disease mechanisms and alternative therapies (non-shunt) in a rigorous manner. Applications should aim to transform the field of prenatal and/or pediatric hydrocephalus research by generating tools including animal and cell models, novel methods and innovative technologies that will be widely used throughout the neuroscience community to understand disease mechanisms and/or developing therapeutics.
The mission of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is to identify and pursue high-risk, high-payoff research initiatives across a broad spectrum of science and engineering disciplines and to transform these initiatives into disruptive technologies for U.S. national security. In support of this mission, the DSO Office-wide BAA invites proposers to submit innovative basic or applied research concepts that address one or more of the following technical domains:
Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) aims to provide strong predictive value along with mechanistic understanding of AI by combining machine learning techniques with effective explanatory techniques. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications in the area of XAI applied to neuroscientific questions of encoding, decoding, and modulation of neural circuits linked to behavior. This FOA encourages collaborations between computationally and experimentally-focused investigators. This FOA seeks the development of machine learning algorithms that are able to mechanistically explain how experimental manipulations affect cognitive, affective, or social processing in humans or animals. Proof-of-concept applications aimed at improving the current state of the technology that uses XAI to provide unbiased, hierarchical explanations of causal relationships between complex neural and behavioral data are also appropriate .
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, veterans, and undergraduate seniors to apply.
EXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) aims to provide strong predictive value along with mechanistic understanding by combining machine learning techniques with effective explanatory techniques. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications in the area of XAI applied to neuroscientific questions of encoding, decoding, and modulation of neural circuits linked to behavior. This FOA encourages collaborations between computationally and experimentally-focused investigators. This FOA seeks machine learning algorithms able to mechanistically explain how experimental manipulations can improve cognitive, affective, or social processing in humans or animals. Proof-of-concept applications aimed at improving the current state of the technology that use XAI to provide unbiased, hierarchical explanations of causal relationships between complex neural and behavioral data are also responsive.
This funding opportunity announcement aims to support research that employs innovative scalable technologies to inventory, register and profile the cellular ensembles and/or cell-types that produce and/or respond to opioids. Emphasis is on approaches that enable high-throughput single-cell resolution mapping, anatomical characterization and/or molecular profiling of cells identified as primary sources of, or pharmacological targets of, opioids in the brain and/or whose changes in activity associate with opioid-related behaviors in rodents.
The NIH Small Research Grant Program supports small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. This program supports different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. This Funding Opportunity Announcement does not accept applications proposing clinical trial(s).
The SBIR program, as established by law, is intended to meet the following goals: stimulate technological innovation in the private sector; strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research or research and development (R/R&D) needs; increase the commercial application of Federally-supported research results; foster and encourage participation by socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned business concerns in the SBIR program; and improve the return on investment from Federally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the Nation.
The intent of the FY17 PRARP NIRA is to support early-career investigators interested in novel research efforts or new technologies within TBI and AD/ADRD in support of the PRARP's mission. The FY17 PRARP NIRA is open to Principal Investigators (PIs) within 3 years of their first independent faculty position, from any field or discipline. As part of the application, the PI should demonstrate that the study team has experience in both TBI and AD/ADRD research. Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged. Preliminary data may come from the PI's published work, pilot data, or from peer-reviewed literature. Note that PIs will be required to verify their eligibility for this award. The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY17 PRARP NIRA will not exceed $225,000. The maximum period of performance is 3 years. The research impact is expected to benefit the military, Veteran, and civilian communities. To this end, the PRARP has identified NIRA Overarching Challenges and Focus Areas by which the intent of this mechanism can be facilitated. These should be carefully considered as part of the application process.FY17 PRARP NIRA Overarching Challenges: This FY17 PRARP NIRA funding opportunity requires applications to address one or more of the following FY17 PRARP NIRA Overarching Challenges: The paucity of research resources to examine the interrelationship between TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, Veteran, and civilian communities.
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), in support of the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, is one of several FOAs aimed at supporting transformative discoveries that will lead to breakthroughs in understanding human brain function. Guided by the long-term scientific plan, "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision," this FOA specifically seeks to support efforts addressing core ethical issues associated with research focused on the human brain and resulting from emerging technologies and advancements supported by the BRAIN Initiative. The hope is that efforts supported under this FOA might be both complementary and integrative with the transformative, breakthrough neuroscience discoveries supported through the BRAIN Initiative.
