Description

This NIH opportunity, part of the BRAIN Initiative, seeks to accelerate the development of novel, early-stage technologies for recording and/or modulating neural activity in the central nervous system. The focus is on high-risk, high-reward projects that are in the initial stages of conceptualization, including new and untested ideas. The goal is to overcome current limitations in spatial and temporal resolution, scale, and specificity of neural recording and modulation, ultimately enabling experiments in humans or behaving animals that are not currently possible.

A wide range of modalities are appropriate, including acoustic, chemical, electrical, magnetic, optical, and genetic tools. Both invasive and non-invasive approaches are welcome. The program encourages applications from researchers in fields not traditionally associated with neuroscience, such as engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, and computational modeling.

Projects may include experimental approaches, as well as calculations, simulations, computational models, or other mathematical techniques to demonstrate theoretical feasibility. Building and testing phantoms, prototypes, or in vitro/bench-top models to validate underlying assumptions is also supported.