The National Institute of Health (NIH) just announced 2 new BRAIN Initiative Requests for Applications (RFAs). The applications are not just limited to neuroscientists, they are open to anyone addressing the goals of President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative. Check them out and consider applying!
- RFA-MH-17-250 (F32): a funding opportunity for individual postdoctoral fellows early in their postdoctoral training. We are encouraging applications from individuals who are just now wrapping up their PhD training. Program point of contact – Nancy Desmond.
Formal training in quantitative perspectives and analytical tools is expected to be an integral part of the proposed research training plan. Applications are encouraged in any research area that is aligned with the BRAIN Initiative, including neuroethics.
In order to maximize the training potential of the F32 award, this program encourages applications from individuals who have not yet completed their terminal doctoral degree and who expect to do so within 12 months of the application due date. On the application due date, candidates may not have completed more than 6 months of postdoctoral training.
Applications are due March 15, 2017, with the earliest start date in September 2017.- RFA-DA-17-022 (K18): an opportunity for independent investigators at any faculty rank or level to enhance their ability to significantly contribute to or lead projects that investigate questions central to the goals of the BRAIN Initiative. Program point of contact – Mimi Ghim.
The applicant must propose a mentored career enhancement plan that includes a collaborative research project in any high-priority research area identified by the BRAIN Initiative long-term scientific plan, including neuroethics.
Specific emphasis is on cross-training independent investigators in a substantively different area of neuroscience, neuroethics, or in a quantitative and physical discipline (e.g., physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, mathematics); and vice versa, cross-training independent investigators trained in a quantitative or physical discipline proposing to gain in-depth training in a high-priority area of neuroscience.
Applications are due April 14, 2017, with the earliest start date in December 2017.
The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) has also done work in this space, including holding a workshop in 2014 on Research Interfaces between Brain Science and Computer Science in Washington, DC. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together computer scientists and brain scientists to articulate new research opportunities and “brain”-storm grand challenges inspired by the BRAIN Initiative. Over 70 computer scientists and neuroscientists from academia, industry, and government were in attendance and between 160-300 participants viewed each panel and plenary on the live-stream. You can see all the videos and slides from the workshop here. The workshop report is here.
