Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Investigating cellular and molecular biology of risk factors in complex brain disorders, focusing on neural function substrates using experimental paradigms.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 5, 2025 (New) | July 5, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | October 5, 2025 (New) | November 5, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | February 5, 2026 (New) | March 5, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | June 5, 2026 (New) | July 5, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
Funding Amounts: No budget cap; budgets must reflect actual needs. Project period up to 5 years. Typical R01 awards range from $200,000–$500,000/year in direct costs.
Summary: Supports research on the cellular and molecular biology of high-confidence risk factors in complex brain disorders, focusing on neural function substrates using experimental paradigms.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed; companion R21 available for early-stage exploratory projects.
Description
This opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), led by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), supports research on the biology of high-confidence risk factors associated with complex brain disorders. The focus is on understanding the intracellular, transcellular, and circuit-level substrates of neural function. "Complex" refers to multifactorial risk (e.g., polygenic and/or environmental) and/or highly distributed functional features of brain disorders.
Projects may be hypothesis-generating (unbiased discovery) or hypothesis-testing, and can utilize in vivo, in situ, or in vitro experimental paradigms, including model organisms or human cell-based assays. The goal is not to model entire disorders, but to elucidate the neurobiological impact of individual or combined risk factors—such as affected molecular and cellular components and their relationships within defined biological processes.
Findings should be disseminated in sufficient detail to enrich common or federated data resources (e.g., Gene Ontology, Synaptic Gene Ontology, FAIR Data Informatics), bridging the gap between disease risk factors, biological mechanisms, and therapeutic target identification.
This R01 mechanism is intended for projects where feasibility or proof-of-concept has been established. For early-stage, exploratory research, applicants should consider the companion R21 opportunity (PAR-25-037).
