BRAIN Initiative: Tools to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DA 18 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 18 018

The BRAIN Initiative funding opportunity titled "Tools to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-18-018) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant that aims to push neurotechnology and neurobiology beyond a neuron-centric view of the brain. Instead of focusing on neurons, this FOA is centered on non-neuronal brain cell populations, especially glial cells and vascular-associated cells, and it calls for new or significantly improved tools and analytical methods that make it easier to access, label, distinguish, profile, and study these cell types within the central nervous system (CNS). The opportunity is positioned as a direct complement to earlier BRAIN cell-census and tool-building efforts (including RFA-MH-14-215 and RFA-MH-14-216) that largely prioritized neuronal cell types, leaving a gap in the toolkit available for systematic study of non-neuronal biology in brain circuits.

A key theme of the FOA is the need for better "points of entry" into glial and vascular cell types. In practice, that means technologies that allow researchers to selectively target or identify specific non-neuronal subtypes, measure their properties, and map where they are and what they are doing in intact tissue or relevant preparations. The overarching goal is to enable a more complete inventory and characterization of non-neuronal cells in the CNS, including how these cells interact with one another and with neurons to shape functional circuitry. The FOA emphasizes that non-neuronal cells are not just supporting actors; they are active participants in brain function, and understanding their roles requires purpose-built tools rather than repurposed neuron-oriented methods.

Applications are expected to go beyond proposing an idea; they must include a strong plan for validation. The FOA makes it clear that successful projects will demonstrate the utility of the proposed tool, technology, or method and show why it is meaningfully better than what is already available. In other words, it is not enough to build something novel on paper. Applicants should be prepared to show that their approach works, that it reliably targets or characterizes the intended non-neuronal populations, and that it provides a concrete advantage such as higher specificity, better resolution, improved throughput, broader applicability, or stronger interpretability relative to existing approaches. Another preference reflected in the text is for tools that translate across multiple species or model organisms rather than being tightly limited to a single system, since cross-species utility can accelerate generalization and adoption by the broader neuroscience community.

The mechanism is an NIH R01, and clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this announcement, which signals that the program is intended to support foundational technology and method development rather than testing interventions in human participants. The activity categories associated with the opportunity span education, health, income security, and social services, and the CFDA program numbers listed include 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867, reflecting its placement within NIH's broader portfolio. The original closing date shown is 2018-10-04, and the FOA creation date is 2017-09-22.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants encompass state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where applicable); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and foreign organizations (non-domestic entities). Taken together, this wide eligibility is meant to encourage participation from diverse institutional types and to support broad development and dissemination of enabling tools for the neuroscience field.

In plain terms, the grant is seeking tool-builders and method innovators who can make non-neuronal cells easier to study with the same level of precision and systematic coverage that BRAIN-supported efforts have previously brought to neurons. The most competitive proposals under this FOA would typically be expected to offer a clear technical advance, a realistic and rigorous validation strategy, and a convincing case that the deliverable will open up new experimental possibilities for identifying, targeting, and characterizing glial and vascular cell types and their interactions within working brain circuits.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Tools to target, identify and characterize non-neuronal cells in the brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-09-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-10-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DA 18 018

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