NIH invests significantly in new technologies to study the brain and behavior—from basic to clinical perspectives. This investment has produced a large number of technologies including hardware, software, and wetware such as cell free assays, bioactive agents, imaging probes, etc. While these technologies are put to good use by their developers, little attention is devoted to making these tools robust and easy-to-use by the broad research community.
NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in affiliation with their “Blueprint for Neuroscience Research” has released a Funding Opportunity Notice “Lab to Marketplace: Tools for Brain and Behavioral Research” seeking small business applications in connection with the SBIR program to further develop more user-friendly technologies to disseminate in the commercial sector. It is expected that this funding opportunity will require partnerships and close collaborations between the original developers of the technologies and small business concerns.
Up to $350,000 total costs per year will be awarded for Phase I SBIR awards. Also, applications for competing renewals of existing Phase II grants to do research and develop technologies could provide up to an additional three years of support for up to $800,000 per year.
The funding announcement (PA-11-134) was posted on February 25, 2011 and expires January 8, 2014. For more information, email Stephanie Fertig, research project manager at fertigs@ninds.nih.gov or call (301) 496-1779. Go to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-134.html to view the funding announcement.
