BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales Data Coordinating Center (BRAIN CONNECTS DCC) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 24 028

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 24 028

The BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales Data Coordinating Center (BRAIN CONNECTS DCC) funding opportunity (RFA-NS-24-028) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24; clinical trial not allowed) aimed at standing up one or more Data Coordinating Centers to support the BRAIN CONNECTS Network. This networked consortium is made up of Comprehensive Centers and Specialized Projects previously funded under related NIH solicitations (RFA-NS-22-047, RFA-NS-22-048, and RFA-NS-22-049). At its core, the program is designed to expand the research capacity and technical foundation needed to produce comprehensive, brain-wide connectivity maps, spanning multiple spatial scales and multiple species, specifically mouse, human, and non-human primate.

A major driver behind this NOFO is the scale of data BRAIN CONNECTS projects are expected to generate. The funded data-producing teams will be scaling up advanced anatomical acquisition methods and computational analysis approaches to produce unprecedented volumes of connectivity-relevant anatomical data. The emphasis is not only on collecting these large datasets, but also on proving end-to-end feasibility: collecting, reconstructing, analyzing, integrating across modalities, disseminating, and ultimately interpreting connectivity maps at the level of entire brains. NIH indicates that the feasibility results generated during this period are intended to inform future NIH decisions about whether and how to continue the program into a potential subsequent five-year phase focused more directly on production-grade, brain-wide wiring diagrams.

Within this ecosystem, the DCC is positioned as the organizing and enabling hub that makes the network function as a coherent whole rather than as a set of disconnected projects. NIH expects the DCC(s) to work closely with the CONNECTS data generating projects to coordinate consortium activities and maintain alignment across sites. A central expectation is leadership around common, harmonized data processing pipelines so that datasets produced by different centers, modalities, and species can be processed in consistent ways that support comparison, integration, and reuse. Alongside pipelines, the DCC is expected to integrate and disseminate shared analytic tools and capabilities, so the broader consortium and eventually the wider community can more easily work with these data without having to rebuild infrastructure independently.

Another key deliverable area is the creation of a unified knowledge base for connectivity data spanning diverse modalities. In practical terms, this implies the DCC(s) will be responsible for organizing data, metadata, standards, documentation, and other resources needed to make brain connectivity datasets interpretable and interoperable across methods and species. Because the program spans multiple acquisition approaches and analysis methods, the DCC role includes helping ensure that data products are findable, well-described, and usable, and that they can be integrated into a broader picture of brain connectivity rather than remaining siloed by technique or lab.

The opportunity also explicitly includes a significant outreach and engagement component. NIH expects the DCC(s) not only to serve the internal consortium, but also to actively connect the network to the broader scientific community and to the general public. That typically means organizing communication channels, public-facing resources, training or dissemination activities, and other forms of engagement that increase awareness, usability, and impact of the resulting tools and datasets. The DCC awards are described as being integrated into the BRAIN CONNECTS Network as part of a coordinated effort to develop the ability to generate wiring diagrams that span entire brains across multiple scales and species, reinforcing that the DCC is intended to be a central integrator and multiplier of the program’s value.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH is expected to have substantial involvement in coordinating goals, oversight, and collaboration activities compared with a more investigator-driven grant. The NOFO lists multiple CFDA numbers associated with NIH neuroscience and research infrastructure portfolios (93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867). The original application closing date provided is 2024-08-20. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source fields, the narrative indicates NIH expects to fund one or more DCCs.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant categories such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicants that reflect NIH’s inclusive reach, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as funding the data and coordination backbone for a high-scale, multi-institution, multi-species brain connectivity mapping initiative, with success defined by harmonized workflows, integrated tools and knowledge resources, and broad dissemination and engagement that prepares the ground for potential future large-scale production of whole-brain wiring diagrams.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales Data Coordinating Center (BRAIN CONNECTS DCC) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-20. (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.

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