BRAIN Initiative: Production and distribution facilities for brain cell type-specific access reagents (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-06-08. Official notice and agency instructions control.
Build the infrastructure factory that supplies neuroscientists with validated brain cell-access reagents and get steady NIH funding to run it.
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What this is
The NIH is seeking organizations to establish or expand production and distribution facilities for brain cell-access reagents—tools like gene transfer vectors and genome engineering systems validated under prior BRAIN Initiative projects. This is infrastructure funding, not research funding; the goal is to make cutting-edge neuroscience tools widely available to researchers studying both animal models (including primates) and human tissue. Applicants should have or plan to develop manufacturing and logistics capability, and preference goes to efforts that serve broad scientific communities. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed.
Who can apply
Nonprofits (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), small businesses, for-profit organizations, academic institutions, state/local/tribal governments, and other entities are eligible. There is no apparent geographic restriction. Applicants must have capacity or credible plan to produce and distribute reagents at scale; clinical trial work is not permitted.
Eligible applicant types
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- Special district governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- City or township governments
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Small businesses
- State governments
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Independent school districts
Full description — from the agency
This BRAIN Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support scaled reagent production and distribution facilities involving technologies to access brain cell types. Facilities for production and distribution of these reagents by a broad set of neuroscientists will be encouraged. This NOFO is part of the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium for Brain Cell Access transformative project. Efforts will be supported to produce and distribute gene transfer, gene regulation, and genome engineering reagents for use in both genetically tractable and less tractable systems, including primates and human tissue, which are relevant for future translational efforts. Reagents to be produced and distributed are those designed and validated under other NOFOs from the Armamentarium transformative project.
Topics: brain cell reagents · gene transfer vectors · neuroscience tools · biotech manufacturing · BRAIN Initiative · genome engineering · reagent distribution
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.