Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 9, 2026 (Applications) | February 11, 2027 (Applications / final closing)
Funding Amounts: Up to $700,000 in direct costs annually for up to 3 years; $6 million estimated program funding
Summary: Supports exploratory human neuroscience research using direct intracranial recording, with or without stimulation, to establish feasibility for future research grants.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed; applications must address neuroethical considerations and include a one-page team management plan.
Description
The NIH BRAIN Initiative’s Research Opportunities in Humans Program supports exploratory research and planning through the R61 mechanism. Newly formed or established multidisciplinary teams can investigate how single cells and neuronal networks produce sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, memories, and motor or social behaviors. Projects must leverage direct access to the human brain during invasive surgical procedures and establish feasibility or early-stage development for potential subsequent research project grant applications.
The program emphasizes prospective testing of explicit or model-driven hypotheses, using theoretical frameworks and quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Supported approaches include intracranial recording with or without stimulation, synchronized multimodal measurements, behavioral assays, and approved chronic implants. The focus is fundamental human neuroscience, not disease mechanisms, therapeutics, or clinical trials.
