Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 22 240
The NIH BRAIN Initiative funding opportunity "Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" (RFA-MH-22-240) is a discretionary grant program aimed at pushing behavior measurement in humans to the same level of precision and usefulness that modern neuroscience already has for measuring and perturbing brain circuits. The central idea is that many brain disorders and everyday cognitive or emotional functions are ultimately expressed as behavior, yet behavioral readouts in human research are often too coarse, too subjective, or too poorly time-aligned with neural recordings to cleanly connect "what the brain is doing" with "what the person is doing." This program is designed to close that gap by funding next-generation platforms and analytic methods that can quantify behavior accurately and continuously, capture multiple streams of behavioral information at once, and directly synchronize those behavioral streams with simultaneously recorded brain activity.
A key expectation is that proposed behavioral tools should be multi-modal rather than relying on a single measurement type. In practice, that can mean integrating signals such as movement and posture, speech and language features, facial expression, eye tracking, physiological measures related to arousal, task performance metrics, interaction patterns with digital devices, or other sensor-derived and context-aware features. The emphasis is not only on collecting more data, but on making the measurements specific, temporally precise, and flexible enough to match the resolution of contemporary neural technologies (for example, imaging, electrophysiology, or other brain recording approaches). In other words, the program is looking for behavioral quantification that can stand up to the rigor of high-resolution brain data and support stronger, more testable links between neural dynamics and observable human behavior.
The award uses a phased innovation structure (R61/R33) to move projects from creation to proof of synchronized, real-world utility. The R61 phase supports novel tool development, which can include hardware, software, computational pipelines, or integrated platforms that enable improved behavioral measurement and analysis. This is the build-and-validate stage where teams are expected to demonstrate that the tool can reliably capture the targeted behaviors and that the analytics produce meaningful, reproducible quantification. The subsequent R33 phase focuses on synchronization, meaning the developed behavioral tools are aligned in time and integrated in a way that allows direct linkage with concurrently recorded human brain activity. The intention is to go beyond standalone behavioral assessment and demonstrate an end-to-end capability: measuring behavior with high fidelity while neural data are collected, with clear strategies for aligning signals, managing latency, and ensuring that the combined datasets can be used to interpret how brain activity gives rise to behavior.
The opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," which means applicants are not required to propose a clinical trial, but they may include one if it is appropriate for tool validation or demonstration. In general, the program is tool- and platform-focused rather than treatment-efficacy-focused; the goal is to enable the field with broadly useful measurement and synchronization capabilities that can later be applied across many studies of brain function and brain-related disorders.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of U.S. entities such as state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. That wide eligibility reflects the reality that impactful behavioral quantification tools can emerge from many sectors, including engineering teams, clinical research groups, data science labs, community-based research partnerships, and industry collaborators.
Administratively, the sponsor is the National Institutes of Health, with the funding opportunity number RFA-MH-22-240 and an original closing date of 2022-12-23. The activity sits within NIH program areas reflected by multiple CFDA numbers (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867), consistent with BRAIN Initiative efforts that cut across neuroscience, mental health, neurological disorders, and technology development. While the provided source data does not list an award ceiling or expected number of awards, the structure and goals make clear that NIH is prioritizing ambitious, technically rigorous projects that can produce validated behavioral measurement systems and demonstrate tight synchronization with human brain recordings, ultimately enabling more precise brain-behavior mapping in both basic and translational research.Apply for RFA MH 22 240
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" 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 2022-07-22.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-23. (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.
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FAQs: NIH BRAIN Initiative - Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-MH-22-240)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH BRAIN Initiative discretionary grant opportunity titled "Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" with funding opportunity number RFA-MH-22-240. It supports projects that develop next-generation tools and analytic methods to measure human behavior with high precision and to synchronize those behavioral measurements with simultaneously recorded human brain activity.
What problem is the program trying to solve?
The program targets a gap in human neuroscience research: brain activity can be measured at very high resolution, but behavioral readouts are often too coarse, subjective, or not time-aligned well enough to connect what the brain is doing with what a person is doing. This opportunity is designed to improve behavioral quantification so it can match the rigor and temporal precision of modern neural recording technologies.
What is the main goal of the funded projects?
The main goal is to create and validate behavioral measurement platforms that can quantify behavior accurately and continuously, capture multiple behavioral streams at once, and directly synchronize those streams in time with concurrently recorded human brain activity. The end result should enable stronger, more testable links between neural dynamics and observable behavior.
What types of projects are a good fit?
Projects focused on tool and platform development for human behavioral measurement and analysis are the intended fit. This can include hardware, software, computational pipelines, or integrated systems that improve the specificity, temporal precision, and usefulness of behavioral signals, particularly when paired with brain recordings.
Is this opportunity focused on treatments or clinical outcomes?
No. The emphasis is on measurement and synchronization tools rather than treatment-efficacy. The purpose is to enable broadly useful capabilities for behavioral quantification and time alignment with neural data that can be applied across many basic and translational studies later.
What does "Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization" mean in practice?
It means capturing behavior in a way that is (1) quantitative and reproducible, (2) time-resolved and precise, and (3) aligned in time with simultaneously collected brain data. The program expects an end-to-end capability: high-fidelity behavioral measurement while neural data are being recorded, along with clear strategies to align signals and manage latency so the combined dataset supports brain-behavior mapping.
Are applicants expected to use multi-modal behavioral measurements?
Yes. A key expectation is that behavioral tools should be multi-modal rather than based on a single measurement type. The focus is on integrating multiple streams to create richer, more precise behavioral quantification.
What are examples of behavioral signals that could be integrated?
Examples mentioned include movement and posture, speech and language features, facial expression, eye tracking, physiological measures related to arousal, task performance metrics, interaction patterns with digital devices, and other sensor-derived or context-aware features.
Why is temporal precision and synchronization emphasized so strongly?
Because without tight time alignment, it becomes difficult to interpret how moment-to-moment neural dynamics relate to moment-to-moment behavior. The program is explicitly trying to make behavioral data precise enough, and synchronized enough, to stand up to high-resolution neural datasets such as imaging or electrophysiology.
What does the R61/R33 phased structure mean?
The award uses a phased innovation structure to move projects from tool creation to demonstrated, synchronized utility. The R61 phase supports development and initial validation of a novel tool or platform. The R33 phase supports synchronization and integration of the behavioral tool with concurrently recorded human brain activity to demonstrate real-world end-to-end utility.
What is expected in the R61 phase?
The R61 phase is the build-and-validate stage. Teams are expected to develop the behavioral measurement tool (hardware, software, computational methods, or an integrated platform) and demonstrate that it can reliably capture targeted behaviors and produce meaningful, reproducible quantification.
What is expected in the R33 phase?
The R33 phase focuses on synchronization: aligning the behavioral streams in time with concurrently recorded human brain activity. Projects should go beyond standalone behavioral assessment and demonstrate an integrated approach, including strategies for time alignment, latency management, and combined dataset usability for interpreting brain-behavior relationships.
Does this funding opportunity require a clinical trial?
No. It is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants are not required to propose a clinical trial. A clinical trial may be included if it is appropriate for tool validation or demonstration, but the program is primarily tool- and platform-focused.
Does this opportunity support projects that collect neural data along with behavior?
Yes. A central feature is direct synchronization of behavioral measurements with simultaneously recorded human brain activity. The program highlights alignment with contemporary neural technologies such as imaging or electrophysiology (as examples of brain recording approaches).
Who is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsor is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the NIH BRAIN Initiative.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is RFA-MH-22-240.
What was the closing date listed for this opportunity?
The source information lists an original closing date of 2022-12-23.
Which organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. entity types such as state, county, city, or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), and faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are regional organizations, federal agencies, and U.S. territories eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes non-U.S. (foreign) organizations.
Is the program limited to academic applicants?
No. The broad eligibility reflects that impactful behavioral quantification tools can come from many sectors, including engineering teams, clinical research groups, data science labs, community-based research partnerships, and industry collaborators.
What kinds of deliverables is NIH likely looking for?
Based on the described goals and phased structure, deliverables include (1) a validated behavioral measurement tool or platform that generates meaningful, reproducible behavioral quantification and (2) a demonstrated capability to synchronize those behavioral data streams with concurrently recorded human brain activity, including practical approaches to alignment and latency management.
Does the provided information list an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?
No. The provided source data does not list an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers: 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867.
What research areas does this opportunity cut across?
Based on the BRAIN Initiative framing and the listed program areas, it spans neuroscience, mental health, neurological disorders, and technology development, with a specific emphasis on human behavior measurement and brain-behavior synchronization.
Why does the opportunity emphasize "continuously" capturing behavior?
The program description points to the need for behavioral readouts that are accurate and continuous, so behavior can be tracked over time and aligned with time-varying neural signals. This supports clearer interpretation of how dynamic brain activity corresponds to observable behavior.
What does it mean for behavioral measurements to be "specific" and "reproducible" here?
In this context, "specific" means the measurement captures well-defined behavioral features (rather than vague or subjective impressions), and "reproducible" means the quantification is meaningful and consistent enough to be validated and used reliably in research settings, especially when paired with high-resolution neural data.
How does this opportunity define success at a high level?
Success is described as closing the gap between brain measurement and behavior measurement by producing tools that quantify behavior with high fidelity and synchronize it with simultaneously recorded brain activity, enabling more precise and testable brain-behavior links in human research.
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