Data / Federal grants / RFA-DC-27-004
BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services) is accepting applications until February 11, 2027. It lists awards of up to $700,000, 5 awards expected, $6 million in total.
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Key facts
- Opportunity number
- RFA-DC-27-004
- Status
- Posted, open
- Posted
- May 4, 2026
- Closes
- February 11, 2027
- Award ceiling
- $700,000
- Expected awards
- 5
- Total funding
- $6,000,000
- Cost sharing
- Not required
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
- Health
- Assistance listing
- 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders; 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health; 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants; 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs; 93.279 Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs; 93.286 Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health; 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders; 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research; 93.866 Aging Research; 93.867 Vision Research; None None
- Contact
- National Institutes of Health · [email protected] · 301-402-2541
Who can apply
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Independent school districts
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Small businesses
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Special district governments
- County governments
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Private institutions of higher education
- State governments
- City or township governments
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
What the agency says
Invasive surgical procedures in humans offer the unique opportunity to intracranially record and stimulate neuronal activity within precisely localized brain structures, enabling high-impact human neuroscience investigations. This NOFO seeks exploratory research projects, from newly formed or established multi-disciplinary teams, to understand how dynamic activity of single cells and ensembles of neurons in spatially organized networks gives rise to the internal states we experience as sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and memories, and to observable motor and social behaviors. The research should be proposed as exploratory research and planning activities to establish feasibility and early-stage development that, if successful, would support, enable, and/or lay the groundwork for a potential, subsequent research project grant applications using invasive neural recording and stimulation technologies in the human brain. Projects should maximize opportunities to conduct innovative in vivo human neuroscience research made available by direct access to the brain from invasive surgical procedures. Projects should employ approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs and by quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Recipients will join a consortium working 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.
Other open grants from the Department of Health and Human Services
| Opportunity | Status | Closes | Award ceiling | Total funding | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222 | Open | Oct 26 | $300,000 | $3,000,000 | grants.gov |
| GREGoRi Data Coordination and Outreach Center (U01, Clinical Trials Not Allowed) RFA-HG-27-011 | Open | Oct 30 | $1,250,000 | $2,000,000 | grants.gov |
| GREGoRi Innovation Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-HG-27-013 | Open | Oct 30 | $500,000 | $7,500,000 | grants.gov |
| GREGoRi Technology Integration Center (U01, Clinical Trials Optional) RFA-HG-27-012 | Open | Oct 30 | $2,250,000 | $3,000,000 | grants.gov |
| HEAL Initiative: Whole Joint Health Program (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required) PAR-27-045 | Open | Oct 30 | grants.gov | ||
| Clinical Observational (CO) Studies in Musculoskeletal, Rheumatic, and Skin Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PAR-24-280 | Open | Nov 2 | grants.gov |
All grants open to Nonprofits (501(c)(3)) · All grants open to Independent school districts · All grants open to Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status · Everything closing in February 2027
Read from the Grants.gov API, last updated 2026-10-23. The agency's notice on Grants.gov is the official record; check it before you apply.