Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 21 135
The NIH funding opportunity "BRAIN Initiative: Integration and Analysis of BRAIN Initiative Data (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-21-135) is a discretionary grant program that supports research and development focused on making BRAIN Initiative data easier to use, interpret, and connect across studies. It is a reissue of an earlier solicitation (RFA-MH-19-147) and is centered on creating software tools that help researchers visualize, integrate, and analyze complex neuroscience datasets generated through BRAIN Initiative-supported experiments. A key point is that this R01 specifically does not allow clinical trials, so proposals should be focused on tool-building, computational methods, and informatics work rather than testing clinical interventions in human participants.
This opportunity fits into a broader, coordinated set of BRAIN Initiative informatics efforts aimed at building the practical infrastructure the neuroscience community needs to manage and learn from rapidly expanding datasets. In addition to this FOA, NIH describes companion programs that cover other essential pieces of the ecosystem: one focused on developing data standards needed to describe novel and evolving experiment types used in BRAIN research (RFA-MH-19-146), and another aimed at building the data infrastructures or platforms that will store and serve data contributed by multiple experimental groups (RFA-MH-19-145). Together, these efforts are meant to move beyond simply generating data and toward ensuring the data can be described consistently, housed reliably, and analyzed effectively by the broader community.
A central theme of the announcement is that NIH is not trying to build one massive, universal neuroscience informatics system all at once. Instead, the strategy is to create infrastructure that is immediately useful within specific sub-domains of experimental neuroscience, essentially building the ecosystem one experimental area at a time. The rationale is practical: domain-specific tools and platforms can be designed around the workflows, data types, and analysis needs of particular research communities, making them more likely to be adopted and used right away. At the same time, applicants are encouraged to design with the future in mind. Even if a given project is initially scoped to a particular sub-domain, NIH signals that as understanding of the brain improves, it may become possible and desirable to build linkages among these domain-focused systems. In other words, projects should avoid painting themselves into a corner and should consider interoperability, extensibility, and pathways to eventual cross-domain integration.
The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and governments, such as state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; and independent school districts. Institutions of higher education are eligible across categories (public/state controlled and private). Tribal entities are included, both federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations, and the FOA also highlights additional eligible groups such as Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses may apply. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are included as eligible applicants. The announcement also explicitly calls out a range of community- and mission-driven institutions and organizations as eligible, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal government agencies, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), reflecting an intent to broaden participation and enable contributions from diverse parts of the research and stakeholder landscape.
From an administrative standpoint, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the funding instrument is a grant, and the activity areas are listed under education, health, income security, and social services. The FOA references multiple CFDA numbers (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867), indicating alignment with several NIH programs and institutes/centers that may be involved in supporting BRAIN-related work. The opportunity was created on 2021-03-10, with an original closing date of 2022-03-23. The summary text provided does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so prospective applicants would typically confirm budget limits, project period expectations, and review considerations in the full FOA text.
In practical terms, a competitive proposal under this FOA would generally be expected to deliver robust, well-documented software that helps the community work with BRAIN datasets more effectively, especially by improving visualization and analysis capabilities and by supporting integration across datasets within a given experimental sub-domain. Because NIH emphasizes building for the future while delivering near-term utility, strong applications would usually pay attention to issues like usability for experimentalists, data and metadata handling, compatibility with emerging standards, scalable computing approaches, and the ability to interface with relevant data repositories or platforms. The overall goal is to ensure that the massive and diverse data being produced by BRAIN Initiative research can be turned into accessible, interpretable, and reusable scientific knowledge through high-quality, community-oriented informatics tools.Apply for RFA MH 21 135
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Integration and Analysis of BRAIN Initiative Data (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-10.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the full title of this NIH funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled "BRAIN Initiative: Integration and Analysis of BRAIN Initiative Data (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-MH-21-135.
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, and the funding instrument is a grant.
Is this a discretionary grant program?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant program.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The purpose is to support research and development that makes BRAIN Initiative data easier to use, interpret, and connect across studies, with an emphasis on software tools and methods to visualize, integrate, and analyze complex neuroscience datasets produced by BRAIN Initiative-supported experiments.
What kinds of projects does NIH want to fund under this FOA?
Projects focused on tool-building, computational methods, and informatics work that improve the community's ability to visualize, integrate, and analyze BRAIN Initiative datasets. The FOA is centered on creating software tools that help researchers work with complex neuroscience data more effectively.
Are clinical trials allowed under this R01?
No. Clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA. Applications should not propose testing clinical interventions in human participants.
If clinical trials are not allowed, what should applications focus on instead?
Applications should focus on software tools, computational approaches, and informatics capabilities that support visualization, integration, and analysis of BRAIN Initiative data.
How does this FOA fit into the broader BRAIN Initiative informatics strategy?
This FOA is part of a coordinated set of BRAIN Initiative informatics efforts intended to build practical infrastructure for managing and learning from rapidly expanding neuroscience datasets. It specifically targets integration and analysis tooling, while companion efforts address data standards and data platforms.
What companion programs are mentioned, and what do they cover?
Two companion programs are described: one focused on developing data standards for novel and evolving BRAIN experiment types (RFA-MH-19-146), and another aimed at building data infrastructures or platforms that store and serve data contributed by multiple experimental groups (RFA-MH-19-145).
Is NIH trying to build one universal neuroscience informatics system through this FOA?
No. The announcement emphasizes that NIH is not trying to build one massive, universal system all at once. The approach is to build immediately useful infrastructure within specific experimental neuroscience sub-domains.
Why does NIH emphasize sub-domain or domain-specific infrastructure?
The rationale is practical: domain-specific tools and platforms can be designed around the workflows, data types, and analysis needs of particular research communities, which can make them more likely to be adopted and used right away.
Should projects consider future interoperability beyond a single sub-domain?
Yes. Even if a project is initially scoped to a specific sub-domain, applicants are encouraged to design with the future in mind, including interoperability, extensibility, and pathways to eventual cross-domain integration.
What does "integration and analysis of BRAIN Initiative data" mean in practical terms?
In practical terms, it points to software and methods that help researchers connect datasets (especially within a given experimental area), interpret data more effectively, and perform analysis and visualization in a way that supports reuse and broader scientific discovery.
Who is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What activity areas are associated with this opportunity?
The activity areas listed are education, health, income security, and social services.
Which CFDA numbers are referenced in the summary?
The FOA references CFDA numbers 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on 2021-03-10.
What was the original closing date listed in the summary?
The original closing date listed is 2022-03-23.
Is this FOA a reissue of an earlier solicitation?
Yes. It is described as a reissue of an earlier solicitation, RFA-MH-19-147.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and governments, as well as non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). Eligibility includes governments, higher education institutions, tribal entities, nonprofits, for-profits, small businesses, and a range of community- and mission-driven institutions.
Are state and local governments eligible?
Yes. The summary lists state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts as eligible applicants.
Are institutions of higher education eligible?
Yes. Institutions of higher education are eligible across categories, including public/state controlled and private institutions.
Are Tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are included, and the FOA highlights Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) as eligible.
Are nonprofits eligible, and do they need 501(c)(3) status?
Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are both listed as eligible applicants.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are included as eligible applicants.
Are specific minority-serving or mission-driven institutions called out as eligible?
Yes. The summary explicitly calls out Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, faith-based or community-based organizations, and regional organizations as eligible.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are included as eligible applicants.
Are federal government agencies eligible?
Yes. Eligible federal government agencies are listed as eligible applicants.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible?
Yes. The summary states that non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are eligible.
Does the summary specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards?
No. The summary text provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.
What key elements are implied for a competitive application under this FOA?
Based on the summary, competitive proposals would generally be expected to deliver robust, well-documented software that improves visualization and analysis and supports integration across datasets within a given experimental sub-domain, while also considering interoperability and extensibility for future cross-domain linkages.
What kinds of design considerations are emphasized in the summary?
The summary emphasizes near-term utility and future-ready design. It highlights considerations such as usability for experimentalists, data and metadata handling, compatibility with emerging standards, scalable computing approaches, and the ability to interface with relevant data repositories or platforms.
What is the overarching goal of these informatics efforts?
The overarching goal is to ensure that large and diverse BRAIN Initiative datasets can be turned into accessible, interpretable, and reusable scientific knowledge through high-quality, community-oriented informatics tools.
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