Over the next several years, the FAS Research Development group will track and disseminate all funding opportunities related to the BRAIN Initiative. These funding opportunities will be sent to a targeted list of faculty. That list includes faculty affiliates of the Center for Brain Science (CBS) and the Mind Brain Behavior (MBB) Interfaculty Initiative. This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Center for Brain Science. All opportunities will be archived and recipients may unsubscribe at any time. For additional Research Development support (finding funding, proposal development resources, etc.), please visit the FAS Research Development website.
 
Updates

  • The Department of Energy may become a new partner in the BRAIN Initiative. The DOE has proposed that closely interacting teams of neuroscientists and DOE physical and computational scientists could provide a substantial contribution to and acceleration of the BRAIN Initiative. More information should be available next month when the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Task Force on Biomedical Sciences presents a report identifying new research areas for DOE in biomedical sciences.
  • The Working Group cleared two new concepts during this meeting - Neuroethics and Informatics. Concept clearance indicates the Group's support for pursuing these future research directions. If funding becomes available, these concepts may serve as the basis for new Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). 
    • The Group proposed neuroethics grants to support research on the ethical implications of advancements in neurotechnology and brain science. These would be four year awards with a total budget of $2 million to support 4-6 projects.
    • Informatics grants would support the development of data standards, data archives, and analysis tools. Possible sub-domains for these projects include: cell census, integrated approaches, invasive devices, non-invasive neuromodulation, and next generation imaging.
  • The Working Group also announced that in FY17 many NIH FOAs will be reissued, and in some cases expanded, in the BRAIN Initiative's existing topic areas: cells and circuits, invasive devices, non-invasive devices, training, and integrative approaches. 
  • The BRAIN Initiative Alliance has launched a comprehensive new BRAIN Initiative website to serve as a central point of information for all of the Initiative's funding opportunities, news and achievements.

FAS Research Development will announce any new FOAs via this newsletter as they become available.

Please click here to view the Working Group's meeting agenda and here for an archived video recording of the full meeting. 
Additional Information
Questions about this newsletter or proposal submission may be directed to:

Jennifer Corby
Research Development Officer
jcorby@fas.harvard.edu | 617-495-1590
Research Development | Research Administration Services | research.fas.harvard.edu