NINDS Interdisciplinary Team Science Grant (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA NS 22 036

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 22 036

The NINDS Interdisciplinary Team Science Grant (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional), funding opportunity number RFA-NS-22-036, is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant designed to back ambitious, high-impact neuroscience research that fits within the mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The core idea is to fund a tightly coordinated team effort rather than a set of loosely connected projects. Applications are expected to propose bold, challenging work with the potential to be genuinely transformative, and teams are encouraged to define clear outcomes they expect to achieve over a five-year period.

A defining feature of this program is its emphasis on true interdisciplinary team science. Projects must be led by three or more, and up to six, Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) who jointly pursue a single shared objective that cannot be accomplished without active collaboration. NINDS is looking for real synergy: integrated planning, managed team interactions, and a unified research strategy where each part depends on and strengthens the others. In practical terms, the proposed work should not look like several investigators each doing their own piece in parallel. Instead, it should read as one cohesive research plan with one overarching focus and one coordinated set of specific aims that require the team to work together throughout the project.

This RM1 opportunity is explicitly positioned as different from the NINDS P01 mechanism. While P01s often include multiple subprojects, this program is built around a single, well-integrated research plan and a single consolidated budget without subprojects. That structure reinforces the expectation that the work is unified and that success depends on the team functioning as a tightly connected unit rather than a collection of semi-independent components.

The announcement is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose a project that includes a clinical trial if it fits the scientific goals, but a clinical trial is not required. The overall scientific scope is broad, as long as the research falls within NINDS mission areas, which generally cover neurological disorders, stroke, and fundamental neuroscience relevant to those conditions.

Eligibility is wide and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign participation is limited in a specific way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain foreign elements in the project when well-justified and consistent with NIH policy.

The FOA falls under the NIH health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.853. The original closing date listed for this opportunity was May 17, 2023, and the posting indicates it was created on May 18, 2022. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source details, so applicants would typically need to refer to the full FOA text or NIH notices for budget guidance and anticipated award volume.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Interdisciplinary Team Science Grant (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-17. (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 NS 22 036

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