BRAIN Initiative: Pilot resources for brain cell type-specific access and manipulation across vertebrate species (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA MH 20 556

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 556

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Pilot resources for brain cell type-specific access and manipulation across vertebrate species (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-20-556) is a discretionary research program offered under the NIH BRAIN Initiative. It uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01), which means funded projects are expected to involve substantial scientific and/or programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared with a standard research grant. The scientific focus is on creating and piloting resources that enable reliable, cell type-specific access to, and manipulation of, brain cells across multiple vertebrate species. In practical terms, this kind of program typically supports early-stage, enabling work that can become shared tools, methods, and platforms for the broader neuroscience community, rather than only answering a single narrow biological question.

This FOA is explicitly tied to a major priority area described in the BRAIN Initiative 2.0 report, "The BRAIN Initiative 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures," produced by the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director BRAIN Initiative Working Group 2.0. The program aligns with the transformative project called "A Cell Type-Specific Armamentarium for Understanding Brain Function and Dysfunction." That framing signals the intent: to expand the toolbox that makes it possible to target specific neuronal and non-neuronal cell types, observe what they do in intact circuits, and perturb them in controlled ways to test causal roles in behavior and disease-relevant processes. The phrase "across vertebrate species" is an important emphasis, suggesting an interest in approaches that can work beyond a single model organism and help bridge insights from commonly used laboratory species to other vertebrates where comparative biology, development, or translational relevance may be stronger.

The announcement is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," indicating the supported research must not include NIH-defined clinical trials. In other words, projects should stay in the domain of preclinical research, tool development, resource generation, and foundational technology work rather than interventional studies in human participants designed to evaluate health-related outcomes. Even if the tools could eventually inform clinical applications, the deliverables here are expected to be research resources and methods suitable for broad use in basic and translational neuroscience without crossing into clinical trial activities.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is intentionally broad. It includes many types of U.S. government entities (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and a range of nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits). For-profit organizations other than small businesses and small businesses are also eligible, reflecting NIH's interest in encouraging both academic and commercial participation in tool and resource development. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories that NIH often calls out to encourage participation by institutions serving historically underrepresented groups and by organizations in diverse jurisdictions. These include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Also eligible are faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized (in addition to federally recognized tribal governments), U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. (foreign) entities. The inclusion of foreign organizations suggests NIH was open to supporting specialized expertise or unique species/resources that may be located outside the United States, consistent with the cross-vertebrate emphasis.

Administrative details in the source data indicate the sponsoring agency is NIH, the opportunity was created on 2020-09-17, and the original closing date was 2021-10-19. The program is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (now commonly referred to under Assistance Listings), including 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867, reflecting that BRAIN-related activities can be supported across different NIH institutes and centers and their assistance listing categories. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, so those details would normally be confirmed in the full FOA text or NIH budget tables for that fiscal year.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a BRAIN Initiative resource-building effort aimed at expanding the practical ability of neuroscientists to identify, reach, and control specific brain cell types in a way that works across vertebrate models. Because it is framed as "pilot resources," it likely emphasizes feasibility, standardization, and community value: producing approaches that can be validated, shared, and built upon, ultimately accelerating progress from detailed cell type knowledge to circuit-level understanding and, down the line, improved strategies for addressing brain disorders.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Pilot resources for brain cell type-specific access and manipulation across vertebrate species (U01 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 2020-09-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-10-19. (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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