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HCN Grants Est. 2026
No. PAR-25-286 · National Institutes of Health
Open

Neuromodulation/Neurostimulation Device Development for Mental Health Applications (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Dealbreakers No cost share required Audit: not stated
Not reimbursement-only
“Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.” — From the announcement

At a glance

This program funds development or major improvement of brain stimulation devices and related hardware or software for mental health uses, with a focus on human-use tools and preclinical validation. It is for multidisciplinary teams, and foreign organizations and foreign components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply. The award is an R21 grant with a total direct-cost budget of up to $275,000 over two years, with no more than $200,000 in any single year. Clinical trials are not allowed, and no cost sharing is required.

AI-generated summary — verify against the announcement

What it funds

  • Health
  • Technology & Product Development
  • Patients & People with Health Conditions
  • Biomedical & Disease Research
  • Engineering, Physical & Mathematical Sciences
  • Mental & Behavioral Health
Official description from grants.gov

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to encourage applications seeking to develop the next generation of brain stimulation devices for treating mental health disorders. Applications are sought that will either 1) develop novel brain stimulation devices or 2) significantly enhance, by means of hardware/software improvements, the effectiveness of brain stimulation devices that are currently U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved or cleared. Novel devices should move beyond existing electrical/magnetic stimulation and develop new stimulation techniques capable of increased spatiotemporal precision as well as multi-focal, closed-loop approaches. Applications seeking to develop new capabilities should focus on significant enhancement of the spatial resolution, depth of delivery, and/or precision of the device. Incremental changes to existing devices (e.g., software updates)are not within the scope of this announcement. Applications should be submitted by multi-disciplinary teams with a variety of expertise including systems neuroscience, engineering, clinical, and regulatory affairs.

Who can apply

  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Others
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • Special district governments
  • State governments
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide