BRAIN Initiative: Team-Research BRAIN Circuit Programs - TeamBCP (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The BRAIN Initiative is announcing a grant program called Team-Research BRAIN Circuit Programs - TeamBCP (U19). This grant does not allow for clinical trials. Its main objective is to fund integrated and interdisciplinary research teams that aim to explore the dynamic functions of brain circuits with respect to behavior, employing advanced and innovative technology.

The grant emphasizes a synergistic, team-based approach to research. Successful applicants will receive funding for a period of five years, with a potential for one additional renewal based on competition.

Projects sponsored under this grant should employ conceptual understanding of neural circuit function within the framework of specific neural systems. These systems may include sensation, perception, emotion, motivation, cognition, decision-making, motor control, communication, or homeostasis. Applicants are expected to use a theoretical or model-driven experimental design and provide predictive models as part of their outcomes.

Research should focus on understanding the central nervous system’s circuits by controlling stimuli and behavior, recording and manipulating dynamic patterns of neural activity, and determining the associated behaviors and perceptions. Taking a theoretical approach is encouraged, with emphasis on quantitative, mechanistic models where applicable.

Furthermore, participating teams will be required to manage their data and analysis methods in a particular framework that will be designed and adopted for the proposed U19 project. This data will be exchanged with other BRAIN U19 grant recipients for further refinement and development.

Proposed research can incorporate a range of model systems from invertebrates to humans, though justification is needed. The research teams should be comprised of experts from different fields, including neurobiology, statistics, physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, and data science, reflecting a cross-disciplinary approach.

For those applicants intending to include human subjects with invasive neural recording in their research, they must apply to the associated FOA, bearing the code RFA-NS-XX-XXX.