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              Funding For Research
  
    
    The BRAIN Initiative® and NIDCD


The *Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies®* (BRAIN) Initiative is aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain.
              Overview
      
                              The National Institutes of Health’s *Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies®*(BRAIN) Initiative was announced in 2013 with the goal of revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain. The initiative’s mission is to accelerate the development and application of innovative technologies, allowing researchers to produce a revolutionary new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. It is collaboratively managed by 10 NIH institutes and centers, including NIDCD.The NIH BRAIN Initiative is supported by Congress through the regular appropriations process, and with funds from the 21st Century Cures Act. Since 2014, the BRAIN Initiative has invested more than $3 billion to fund more than 1,300 projects.
              Funded Awards in NIDCD Mission Areas
      
                                      A primary aim of the BRAIN Initiative is building tools—including computational tools—and knowledge resources for understanding how neural circuits function. A number of these tools and resources are broadly applicable across diverse fields of research, including NIDCD-related mission areas.John Ngai, Ph.D., BRAIN Initiative director, explains: “The scientific mission areas of NIDCD—spanning speech and language, auditory and vestibular function, and chemosensation—provide not only fertile ground for understanding the molecular, cellular, and circuit basis of behavior, but also great inspiration and opportunity for developing new tools and therapies that can be generalized across diverse areas of neuroscience."Between 2021 and 2023, the BRAIN Initiative awarded approximately 77 new grants—totaling more than $91 million—in research related to NIDCD mission areas. Many awards involve current and former NIDCD grantees. This investment has led to transformative technologies that have accelerated the pace of discovery. For example, BRAIN investigators have programmed a voice synthesizer to mimic natural speech based on human brain signals (U01NS098971); visualized neuronal activity in the olfactory epithelium of animal models in response to odorants (U01NS094296, UF1NS108213, R01DC013553); made advances toward developing an intracranial auditory nerve implant similar to the cochlear implant (UG3NS107688); and developed an innovative device to treat certain forms of tinnitus (RF1MH114244).Learn more about funded awards in NIDCD mission areas:Hearing funded awardsSmell funded awardsSpeech funded awardsLanguage funded awardsFunding OpportunitiesBRAIN Initiative grantees range from trainees to early stage investigators to well-established researchers. While the initiative largely focuses on collaborative, multidisciplinary science, it offers an array of opportunities including single-investigator awards, exploratory/planning awards, training and small business grants, supplements to existing awards, and pathway to independence grants for those transitioning from postdoctoral to faculty positions. Learn about the various BRAIN Initiative programs.Search for current funding opportunities.Watch a recording of our April 2022 virtual seminar, Demystifying the BRAIN Initiative Program: Guidance to Potential NIDCD Applicants.Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP)The NIH BRAIN Initiative includes a new component in most funding opportunities requiring that applications include a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) in the proposed research (please see NOT-MH-21-310). A PEDP is a summary of strategies to advance the scientific and technical merit of the proposed project through inclusivity. Broadly, diverse perspectives refer to the people who do the research, the places where research is done, and the people who participate in the research as part of the study population. The PEDP is submitted as a 1-page “Other Attachment” to be included in grant applications submitted in response to specified funding opportunities. For more information on the PEDP, please see the Frequently Asked Questions and the Key Elements and Examples.
              NIDCD BRAIN Initiative Contacts
              Profile photo of Merav Sabri, Ph.D.

          Merav Sabri, Ph.D.
            **Scientific Areas:** Investigative human neuroscience; sensory neuroscience; integrated/quantitative approaches to understanding circuits; human neuroimaging technologies; cells and circuits analysis**Email:** merav.sabri@nih.gov
              Profile photo of Roger Miller.

          Roger Miller, Ph.D.
            **Scientific Areas:** Neural recording and modulation/technology development and human studies; SBIR/STTR**Email:** millerr@nidcd.nih.gov
              Profile photo of Amy Poremba

          Amy Poremba, Ph.D.
            **Scientific Areas:** Sensory neuroscience; integrated/quantitative approaches to understanding circuits; cells and circuits analysis**Email:** amy.poremba@nih.gov
              Profile photo of Alberto Rivera-Rentas, Ph.D.

          Alberto Rivera-Rentas, Ph.D.
            **Scientific Areas:** Training, inclusion, and equity

**Email:** riverara@mail.nih.gov
              BRAIN-NIDCD Events
      
                                      **June 16-18, 2024**10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference
              BRAIN Initiative Resources
      
                              NIH BRAIN InitiativePriority research areasFunding opportunitiesNewsBlogDirector’s messagesBRAIN Initiative® - YouTube ChannelBRAIN Initiative Alliance HomepageComprising federal and non-federal members and affiliates, the alliance coordinates and facilitates communications from its members related to The BRAIN Initiative®.BRAIN Initiative Alliance: Toolmakers Resources and Newsletter
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      February 28, 2024 COVID-19
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