Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: May 10, 2025 (Letter of Intent) | June 9, 2025 (Full Application, New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
Funding Amounts: Up to $2,000,000 direct costs per year, for up to 5 years (maximum 10 years total support per Center)
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary teams conducting high-impact, integrative basic or translational neuroscience research to advance understanding of brain mechanisms and mental disorders, beyond the scope of standard grant mechanisms.
Key Information: Limited submission: only projects not achievable via standard NIH mechanisms are eligible; clinical trials are optional.
Description
This opportunity from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports the creation of Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research. The program is designed for interdisciplinary teams addressing high-risk, high-impact scientific questions that will significantly advance the state of brain and behavioral research, with the ultimate goal of improving understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders.
Centers may focus on:
- Basic neuroscience to uncover mechanisms underlying brain function and behavior.
- Translational research integrating basic and clinical neuroscience to address severe mental illnesses.
- Neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories of psychopathology, especially those beginning in childhood and adolescence.
Projects must demonstrate an extraordinary level of synergy and integration, and should not be feasible under standard NIH grant mechanisms (e.g., R01s). Both basic and translational research foci are supported, and clinical trials are optional.
Due Dates
- Letter of Intent: May 10, 2025 (30 days before application due date)
- Full Application (New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision): June 9, 2025
- All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
Funding Amount
- Direct Costs: Up to $2,000,000 per year
- Project Period: Up to 5 years per award; maximum of 10 years total support for any Center
- Number of Awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education (both public/state-controlled and private)
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), excluding institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Federally recognized and other Native American tribal governments and organizations
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- U.S. territories and possessions
- Regional organizations
- Eligible agencies of the federal government
Note:
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
- Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed within U.S. organizations.
- Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided each is scientifically distinct.
- This is a limited submission: only projects not achievable via standard NIH mechanisms are eligible.
Application Process
- Letter of Intent: Strongly encouraged, but not required. Should include project title, PI(s), key personnel, participating institutions, and the FOA number/title. Email to nimhpeerreview@mail.nih.gov.
- Application Submission: Use the NIH ASSIST system or an institutional system-to-system solution to prepare and submit applications via Grants.gov.
- Application Format: Multi-project (P50) structure, including:
- Overall component (12 pages)
- Administrative Core (6 pages)
- At least three Research Projects (6 pages each)
- Optional Research Support Cores (6 pages each)
- Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and UEI (Unique Entity Identifier)
- Data Sharing: All applications must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Data generated must be shared via the National Data Archive (NDA).
- Review Criteria: Scientific merit, innovation, synergy, integration, significance, investigator qualifications, and potential for field advancement.
Additional Information
- Clinical Trials: Optional; applications may propose projects with or without clinical trials.
- Student and Postdoctoral Training: Centers are expected to provide interdisciplinary research experiences for trainees, coordinated with existing institutional training programs.
- Outreach: Centers are encouraged to include public outreach and dissemination activities, such as websites and partnerships with educational or community organizations.
- Resource Sharing: Plans for sharing data, resources, and tools are required.
- Budget: Direct costs are capped at $2M/year; indirect costs per NIH policy.
- Renewal/Resubmission: Allowed as specified in the FOA.
External Links
Contact Information
For technical assistance with ASSIST or eRA Commons: NIH eRA Service Desk