National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIMH may provide administrative supplements during the current budget period and, if necessary, in future years to address unforeseen costs within the scope of an approved grant. Awards are contingent on alignment with NIMH priorities, documented need, and availability of funds.

NIMH may consider supplements to support orderly termination or temporary continuation of research to prevent loss of critical resources or personnel hardship, including responding to rare events or time-sensitive opportunities. 

• Supplements may not be used to cover costs associated with an investigator’s change of institution or promotion, nor to circumvent NIMH administrative cuts.

Investigators are encouraged to contact the grants management and program officials listed on the parent award to discuss unforeseen circumstances and potential funding options.

NIMH accepts and reviews administrative supplement applications continuously until April 1 of each fiscal year (FY). Applications received after April 1 will not be considered for funding until the next FY. Earlier submission is encouraged.

NIMH Grants Management

[email protected]  

To advance its mission, NIMH supports small businesses to develop technologies, including, but not limited to, the following: 

• Neurotechnology development to enhance research on brain structure and function 
• Central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery/development for treating mental disorders – novel drug screening assays, novel compounds and drug targets; Research & Development (R&D) ranging from compound synthesis up to early stage clinical trials 
• Novel brain modulation methods/devices as potential therapeutics 
• Biological markers for CNS dysregulation/function and mental illness - objective, measurable biological indicators of physiological or disease processes to further assess replicability, reproducibility, stability, etc. at the subject level 
• Digital health technologies – as interventions or service delivery tools, to augment clinical care, and/or to enhance clinical research, and clinical trial design/implementation at the subject/patient level 
• Technologies addressing basic, behavioral, and implementation science related to people living with HIV – including all areas listed above 

A. Research and Development involving data collection from human subjects
B. Development of novel imaging probes to study brain structure and function at all levels, from the molecular to the whole organ, using any imaging modality, for preclinical and clinical use.
C. Development of complex technologies/ instrumentation including hardware, software, iterative user testing, and scale-up for manufacturing towards reliable, broad, sustainable dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience or clinical practice. This also includes clinical research tools.
D. Preclinical and Clinical treatment/intervention development and testing with human subjects, also including testing/studies required by the FDA, or for reimbursement strategy.
E. Educational tools/technologies for neuroscience and mental health.
F. Novel screening assays for high throughput acquisition and analysis of data about behavior and the brain, from the level of genes to the level of behavior, including unbiased screening assays.
G. Neurotechnologies that support enhancing the understanding of central nervous system (CNS) structure, function, and behavior, including the goals of the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.
H. Innovative research tools and technologies - including neuroimaging platforms, CNS-targeted therapeutics, neuroprotective agents, in vitro models, biomarkers, and informatics systems - for assessing HIV-associated neurocognitive and neuroimmune dysfunction, targeting and eliminating CNS viral reservoirs, and enabling the translation and integration of NeuroHIV interventions into preclinical and clinical neuropsychiatry practice.
I. Digital health tools, decision-support platforms, mobile technologies, predictive algorithms, and multipurpose prevention products to improve HIV prevention, care engagement, and treatment adherence; support mental health integration in HIV care; and deliver tailored, data-driven communication and education to individuals and communities most affected by HIV.
J. Biomarkers or data/behavioral markers (reliable, reproducible, stable) including composite measures, standardization of data collection, processing and analytics. These markers can identify at-risk individuals prior to disease onset, improve diagnosis, predict treatment response, or measure disease progression. Also needed are markers for clinical trials to identify dose ranges, to identify a specific subpopulation of subjects to enroll in a treatment trial, or to measure efficacy or toxicity/side effects.
K. Digital tools to support mental health screening, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, clinical decision support, provider supervision/training, treatment fidelity or quality improvement/monitoring, or implementation of evidence-based practices. May also include software as a medical device and/or clinical trials to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, efficacy, or effectiveness of digital tools to support mental health treatment or service delivery.
L. Early stage, proof of concept clinical trials to advance the development of novel therapeutics. The clinical trials are expected to include biological/behavioral data to assess target engagement and to help determine potential success/failure before moving on to larger clinical trials.
 

NIMH Small Business Research Programs

[email protected]