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.
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 lists this opportunity for nonprofit applicant type listed. Review the coded eligibility, award range, source synopsis, and official notice before deciding whether to apply.
Deadline
February 11, 2027
113 days remaining
Award range
up to $700,000
$6,000,000 estimated program funding
Applicant signal
Nonprofit applicant type listed
the official notice controls eligibility
- 00 — State governments
- 01 — County governments
- 02 — City or township governments
- 04 — Special district governments
- 05 — Independent school districts
- 06 — Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- 07 — Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
- 08 — Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities
- 11 — Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments
- 12 — 501(c)(3) nonprofits other than institutions of higher education
- 13 — Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education
- 20 — Private institutions of higher education
- 22 — For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- 23 — Small businesses
- 25 — Other applicants; see the official eligibility clarification
These are high-level Grants.gov codes. Additional eligibility text, geographic restrictions, and program-specific rules in the official notice can narrow them.
- Confirm entity eligibility in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Check SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration requirements and timing.
- Read every attachment for matching, cost-share, geography, and award conditions.
- Verify the exact deadline time and any agency-specific submission portal.
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Source: Grants.gov daily XML extract, 2026-10-21 extract. This page reproduces selected public listing fields for research convenience. The official Notice of Funding Opportunity and agency instructions control. This product uses the Grants.gov API but is not endorsed or certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.