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BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales (BRAIN CONNECTS): Specialized Projects for Scalable Technologies (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · Opportunity number RFA-NS-27-015

View the official notice on Grants.gov
353 days left (deadline Oct 4, 2027)

Details summarized from the official notice as of Oct 16, 2026. Always confirm eligibility, deadlines and requirements in the official notice before applying.

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Key facts

Opportunity numberRFA-NS-27-015
AgencyNational Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistance listing (ALN, formerly CFDA)93.279, 93.242, 93.853, 93.867, 93.286, 93.372, 93.866, 93.865, 93.173, 93.213, 93.273
PostedMay 28, 2026
DeadlineOct 4, 2027
Estimated total program funding$10,000,000
Cost sharing or matching requiredNo
Funding typeCooperative agreement
CategoryHealth
Last updated hereOct 16, 2026

Summary from the notice

This funding announcement, issued by the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, seeks transformative, cutting-edge, and innovative research that embraces new technologies, ideas, and approaches to understand brain circuit function and contributions to behavior. It is a component of the BRAIN Initiative Connectivity Across Scales (BRAIN CONNECTS) Program, which aims to lay the scientific foundation for the next generation of neural circuit-based approaches for preventing and treating devastating brain disorders.This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports Specialized Projects to develop current or emerging technologies to generate comprehensive atlases of brain connectivity, with an emphasis on human, non-human primate (NHP), and mouse. Projects using other species are also permitted, if their use is well justified and the goal is to test and validate approaches that can be generalized across species. Applications may address any aspect(s) of brain connectivity and associated data pipelines, including data collection, reconstruction, analysis, integration, dissemination, and interpretation, to enable faster, more precise, and more cost-effective generation and interpretation of brain-wide wiring diagrams. Funded projects will be integrated into the BRAIN CONNECTS Network consisting of projects funded under this and preceding BRAIN CONNECTS NOFOs, as a coordinated effort aimed at developing the capabilities to generate wiring diagrams that can span entire brains across multiple scales.

Who can apply

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible:

  • County governments
  • Independent school districts
  • Federally recognized tribal governments
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than colleges)
  • Private colleges and universities
  • Other Native American tribal organizations
  • Others named in the notice (see the eligibility text)
  • City or township governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than colleges)
  • Special district governments
  • State governments
  • Small businesses
  • Public and Indian housing authorities
  • Public and state colleges and universities

Who should take a closer look

  • Small businesses
  • Nonprofits
  • Colleges and universities
  • State governments
  • Local governments
  • Tribal governments and organizations
  • Larger for-profit companies

Not listed as eligible

  • Individuals

Unless the eligibility text in the notice names you, this opportunity is probably not for you.

Eligibility details 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 eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Registrations you will likely need

Most applications submitted through Grants.gov need the following. Registration can take several weeks, so start early. The notice lists the exact requirements.

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