BRAIN Initiative Research Grants

Reagent Resources for Brain Cell Type-Specific Access at MSIs/IDeA Institutions

Funds production and distribution of brain cell-type-specific reagents to institutions with broad access goals.

RFA-MH-26-120 is issued under the NIH BRAIN Initiative with NIMH as lead Institute and funds U24 cooperative resource grants for the production and distribution of molecular genetic reagents that enable brain cell-type-specific access. The NOFO targets Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and IDeA (Institutional Development Award) institutions specifically, making institutional eligibility a primary gating criterion before scientific merit is assessed. This opportunity sits within the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium for Precision Brain Cell Access flagship track, which aims to build a distributed national infrastructure for reliable access to genetic tools such as viral vectors, promoters, and transgenic lines targeted to defined neuronal populations.

Eligible applicants must be U.S. universities or non-profit research organizations and must hold MSI or IDeA institutional status; institutions not qualifying under either designation are not eligible for this particular NOFO. For-profit entities and individual investigators are excluded. Award amounts are not specified in the structured record, but U24 resource grants in this track are typically multi-year awards sized to support production-scale operations and quality-control infrastructure.

Successful applicants will demonstrate existing or readily buildable capacity for large-scale reagent production, rigorous quality control, and broad community distribution, with a plan for maintaining access for BRAIN-funded investigators nationwide. Review panels will evaluate production throughput, quality assurance protocols, and the applicant institution's commitment to serving a diverse user base. Institutions that already operate viral vector cores or transgenic mouse facilities and can document their MSI or IDeA status are the most competitive candidates.