New Approaches for Measuring Brain Changes Across Longer Timespans (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you're building novel brain-measurement tech or methods, NIH will fund early-stage exploratory work with minimal preliminary data required.
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What this is
This NIH funding mechanism encourages multidisciplinary teams to create novel or improved approaches for longitudinal brain measurement—from genomics to connectomics to neural population activity—across years or decades of human or animal lifespan. The goal is to better understand how brain development and aging predict later health outcomes. Research can focus on healthy populations or clinical groups (cognitive, motor, affective challenges). Preliminary data is optional; the program explicitly backs high-risk, high-reward innovation that may be early-stage.
Who can apply
Very broad: nonprofits (501c3 and non-501c3), universities, state/local governments, for-profit businesses (including small businesses), Native American tribal governments, and others. Solo researchers must be affiliated with an eligible institution.
Eligible applicant types
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- State governments
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- County governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Full description — from the agency
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage multidisciplinary investigators to submit applications developing exploratory, highly novel new approaches, or innovative applications of existing approaches to measure brain activity, connectivity, genomics, or other aspects across the age spectrum of neurodevelopment. The overarching goal is to extend our understanding of brain development and aging, including studies of the neurodevelopmental origins of later health and disease, by improving repeated measures across longer epochs of the lifespan to better predict outcomes at later ages. . Research can include healthy human participants of any age, specific clinical groups such those with cognitive, motor, or affective regulation challenges, and/or animal research on these domains of function. The studies can focus on longitudinal neuroanatomical or functional changes at any level, including genetics/genomics, single cells, connectomics, neural population activity patterns, and others. This funding opportunity is intended to encourage technological and conceptual innovation through this high risk, high reward funding mechanism to develop highly innovative ideas that either lack preliminary data or need additional preliminary data
Topics: brain imaging longitudinal studies · neurodevelopment measurement · neuroimaging innovation · brain connectivity methods · lifespan neuroscience · brain aging biomarkers
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.