Independent research tool — not a government agency. Official notices govern.Refreshed
GrantsJunctionAmerican funding, sourcedMethodology
OpenResearch announcementOpportunity 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

At a glance

BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is an open federal grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). Applications are due February 11, 2027. Individual awards are listed as up to $700K, with about 5 awards expected and $6M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 10 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.173 (Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders) and 9 other listings.

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

  1. May 4, 2026Posted
  2. Feb 11, 2027Application deadlinenext date
  3. Jun 29, 2026 (est.)Est. award date
  4. Apr 12, 2027Archived
Posted
May 4, 2026
Close date
Feb 11, 2027
Archive date
Apr 12, 2027
Est. award date
Jun 29, 2026
Award floor
Not specified
Award ceiling
$700,000
Est. total funding
$6,000,000
Expected awards
5
Cost sharing
Not required
Funding instrument
Grant
Opportunity category
Discretionary

Who can apply

  • State governments
  • County governments
  • City or township governments
  • Special district governments
  • Independent school districts
  • Public colleges & universities
  • Federally recognized tribal governments
  • Public & Indian housing authorities
  • Native American tribal organizations
  • 501(c)(3) nonprofits
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
  • Private colleges & universities
  • For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
  • Small businesses
  • Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

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.

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

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.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

How to apply

0 of 8 done · progress saved in this browser

Assistance Listings

What is an ALN?

Reported obligations under ALN 93.173

Historical data · not a prediction
FY24$422M
FY25$423M
FY26$427M est.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.173. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

National Institutes of Health
BRAINeROH@ninds.nih.gov
301-402-2541

Quick answers

When is the deadline for this opportunity?

According to the official notice, applications are due February 11, 2027. Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 3 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through this opportunity?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $700k, total estimated program funding is $6,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 5 awards.

How do I apply for this opportunity?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-DC-27-004), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.