Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 024

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 024

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting R01 grant applications under PAR-24-024, titled "Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." This opportunity supports basic and mechanistic neuroscience research that explains how well-supported (high-confidence) risk factors for complex brain disorders affect neural function at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels. In this context, "complex" can mean that risk arises from many contributing influences (such as polygenic architecture and/or environmental exposures) and/or that the disorder involves widely distributed brain functions rather than a single localized deficit. The core emphasis is on biological mechanisms that sit between risk and disease, not on building full disease models.

Projects are expected to focus on the intracellular, transcellular, and circuit substrates of neural function. That includes, for example, identifying which molecular pathways or cellular components are altered by a specific genetic or environmental risk factor, how those changes propagate across cells (such as neuron-glia interactions, synaptic signaling, trophic support, or immune-related signaling), and how they influence defined circuit properties (such as connectivity, excitation/inhibition balance, plasticity rules, or developmental trajectory). Studies may be hypothesis-generating (unbiased discovery approaches, such as omics, screening, or broad mapping) or hypothesis-testing (mechanistically targeted experiments), and they may use in vivo, in situ, or in vitro paradigms. Acceptable platforms include model organisms and human cell-based systems, such as iPSC-derived neurons/glia, brain organoids, or other tractable experimental systems, as long as the work is clearly aimed at mechanism.

A key boundary in the announcement is that applicants should not design studies whose primary goal is to "model the disorder" as a whole. Instead, the intent is to isolate and explain the neurobiological impact of individual or combined risk factors, including the fundamental biology of those factors and the biological processes they affect. Behavioral paradigms can be included when they help interpret molecular, cellular, or circuit mechanisms, but behavior is not required and is not the expected centerpiece of the work. Consistent with the title, clinical trials are not allowed, so applications should avoid clinical trial designs and instead remain in the realm of mechanistic and preclinical experimental research.

Another major priority is dissemination and standardization of the resulting knowledge so it can be broadly reused. Applicants are encouraged to share their experimental paradigms, identified component pathways, and defined biological processes in enough detail that they can meaningfully enrich community or federated data resources. The FOA specifically points to resources and practices aligned with efforts like the Gene Ontology, Synaptic Gene Ontology, and FAIR data informatics principles, reflecting NIH interest in making mechanistic findings computable, interoperable, and easier to integrate across studies. The bigger picture goal is to narrow the gap between risk factor discovery (for example from human genetics or epidemiology), the underlying biology that explains those risk signals, and eventual identification of therapeutic targets.

The funding instrument is an NIH research project grant (R01) within the health category, associated with CFDA 93.242. The opportunity is listed as discretionary. The original closing date shown is 2026-09-07. An explicit award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, which typically means applicants should consult the full FOA and NIH institute-specific guidance for budget expectations, paylines, and program priorities.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and government entities, including state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than universities); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and other Native American tribal organizations. It also allows for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and "other" eligible applicants. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and regional organizations, indicating an intent to support a diverse applicant pool and a wide range of institutional settings.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at researchers who can take credible brain-disorder risk signals and translate them into concrete mechanistic understanding at the level of molecules, cells, and circuits, while producing well-annotated outputs that the broader neuroscience community can integrate into shared knowledge frameworks.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R01 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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-07. (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 PAR 24 024

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: