Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 871
The NIH funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Development, Optimization, and Validation of Novel Tools and Technologies for Neuroscience Research (SBIR) (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-871) is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program designed to push forward practical, enabling technologies for neuroscience. The core idea is to help small businesses build, improve, and validate new research tools and neurotechnologies that can meaningfully accelerate neuroscience discovery. Unlike awards that focus mainly on basic scientific questions, this FOA emphasizes the creation and maturation of tangible products and platforms that researchers can actually adopt in day-to-day neuroscience work.
A major emphasis of the program is development that is iterative and user-driven. Projects are expected to engage with the end-user community (for example, academic labs, core facilities, or other neuroscience research groups) to refine usability, reliability, performance, and overall fit for real experimental workflows. The NIH is looking for technologies that do more than work once in a controlled setting; the goal is to produce tools that can be manufactured and disseminated broadly, remain sustainable over time, and become integrated into routine neuroscience research. This includes not only entirely new neurotechnology concepts, but also the translation and commercialization of technologies that were previously supported under the BRAIN Initiative or other funding programs and now need further engineering, optimization, validation, and productization to reach the market.
The award mechanism is SBIR R43/R44, which typically corresponds to a phased approach: Phase I (R43) supports early feasibility and proof-of-concept work, and Phase II (R44) supports more advanced research and development aimed at producing a well-validated, near-commercial product. While specific dollar caps and the number of expected awards are not provided in the source excerpt, the funding instrument type is a grant, and the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. The activity aligns with federal program areas covering health and related social service categories, reflected in the multiple CFDA numbers listed (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.867), which indicate participation across NIH institutes and programs that touch neuroscience and neurological health.
A key restriction in the title is "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." This means applicants should not propose human clinical trials under this FOA. The work should stay in the realm of tool and technology development and validation for neuroscience research rather than clinical testing intended to evaluate health outcomes in human participants. In practice, that usually points applicants toward benchtop development, preclinical validation, performance benchmarking, reliability testing, engineering scale-up, usability testing with researchers, and other steps needed to turn a prototype into a robust research product, without crossing into clinical trial territory.
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with the SBIR program. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are explicitly not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the notice indicates that "foreign components," as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowed in some circumstances, which typically means certain discrete elements of the work could potentially be performed outside the U.S. if they meet NIH policy requirements and receive appropriate approval. Applicants still need to structure proposals so the applicant organization is a qualified U.S. small business and the project remains compliant with NIH rules on foreign involvement.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on 2018-07-24, and the original closing date listed is 2021-05-06, indicating the posted record reflects a specific cycle or endpoint for that version of the FOA. Overall, the program is best understood as NIH support for small companies that are ready to turn promising neuroscience tools into dependable, manufacturable, widely usable products, with strong emphasis on technical rigor, validation in realistic research settings, and a credible path toward commercialization and broad adoption by the neuroscience community.Apply for PA 18 871
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Development Optimization, and Validation of Novel Tools and Technologies for Neuroscience Research (SBIR) (R43/R44 - 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, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2018-07-24.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| BRAIN Initiative: Development Optimization, and Validation of Novel Tools and Technologies for Neuroscience Research (STTR) (R41/R42 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 870 Funding Number: PA 18 870 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| BRAIN Initiative: Development of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in Human and Non-Human Primate Brain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA MH 19 135 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 135 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| BRAIN Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (U01 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for RFA NS 19 001 Funding Number: RFA NS 19 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Developing the Therapeutic Potential of the Endocannabinoid System for Pain Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 917 Funding Number: PA 18 917 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) Specialized Collaboratory on Human and Non-Human Primate Brain Cell Atlases (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 19 149 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 149 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) Scalable Technologies and Tools for Brain Cell Census (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 19 148 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 148 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 951 Funding Number: PAR 18 951 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Pre-application: Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (X02 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 950 Funding Number: PAR 18 950 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| BRAIN Initiative: Research on the Ethical Implications of Advancements in Neurotechnology and Brain Science (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA MH 19 400 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 400 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| BRAIN Initiative: Research Resource Grants for Technology Integration and Dissemination (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA NS 19 006 Funding Number: RFA NS 19 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Small Research Grants for Analyses of Data for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource (R03 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 069 Funding Number: PAR 19 069 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) Apply for PA 19 084 Funding Number: PA 19 084 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Technology Research Sites (UH2/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AR 19 028 Funding Number: RFA AR 19 028 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program: Mechanistic Research Centers (U19 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AR 19 026 Funding Number: RFA AR 19 026 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AR 19 027 Funding Number: RFA AR 19 027 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $3,600,000 |
| HEAL Initiative: Clinical Devices to Treat Pain (UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA NS 19 018 Funding Number: RFA NS 19 018 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HEAL Initiative: Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for RFA AT 19 004 Funding Number: RFA AT 19 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| HEAL Initiative: Tissue Chips to Model Nociception, Addiction, and Overdose (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA TR 19 003 Funding Number: RFA TR 19 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| HEAL Initiative: Preventing Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adolescents and Young Adults (ages 1630) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for RFA DA 19 035 Funding Number: RFA DA 19 035 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HEAL Initiative: Behavioral Research to Improve MAT: Behavioral and Social Interventions to Improve Adherence to Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AT 19 006 Funding Number: RFA AT 19 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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