BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 22 240

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.

• 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.

Apply for RFA MH 22 240

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