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]  

NIMH supports a broad spectrum of research, including basic neuroscience, human genetics, translational research, services and intervention research, and AIDS-related research that advances our mission and strategic research priorities.

Prospective applicants are highly encouraged to contact a NIMH Program Official prior to preparing an application by contacting [email protected]

NIMH prioritizes mentored award applications from Early Stage Investigators prior to tenure or equivalent status at the time of award. Mentored awards include:

• Research Scientist Development Award (K01)
• Clinical Investigator Award (K08)
• Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)

For transition awards (K99/R00), NIMH considers applications in all areas of the NIMH mission from eligible applicants.

For a Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24), NIMH prioritizes applications from mid-career faculty, typically at the associate professor level with an active NIMH research project grant (RPG) funding that overlaps with the K24 project period by at least two years (excluding any no-cost extension periods). If the non-mentored award project period extends beyond that of the qualifying NIMH RPG, NIMH expects continued independent research support and may terminate awards following a one-year lapse in funding. NIMH also prioritizes K24s that will enable mentoring activities that are above and beyond normal expectations for the applicant's position.

NIMH may limit K01, K08, and K23 support to four years. Applicants are encouraged to contact NIMH if requesting five years of support.

Applicants initially supported by an Institutional Career Development program (e.g., K12, KL2) may be limited to six years of aggregate mentored career development support.

NIMH plans to support:

• K01: up to $90,000 in salary/year plus fringe benefits
• K08, K23: up to $100,000 in salary/year plus fringe benefits for clinician-scientists
• K99: up to $75,000 in salary/year plus fringe benefits or up to $100,000 in salary/year plus fringe benefits for clinician-scientists.
• K24: up to the legislative cap

NIMH plans to provide research support:

• K01, K08, K23: up to $50,000 per year
• K99: up to $20,000 per year
• K24: up to $50,000 per year 

For mentored career development awards, NIMH expects scholars to devote a minimum of 9 person months (75% of full-time effort) to the award.  Note: Neurosurgeon-scientists may devote a minimum of 6 person-months (50% full-time effort) to the award.

For K24s, candidates must be able to demonstrate the need for protected time, 3-6 person months (25-50% of full-time effort). 

Office of Research Training and Career Development
Email: [email protected] 

• NIMH supports a broad spectrum of research, including basic neuroscience, genetics, translational research, services and intervention research, and HIV-related research that advances our mission.
• NIMH participates in all Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award.

NIMH prioritizes applications that: 

• Provide a strong foundation in innovative research design, methods, and statistical/analytic techniques appropriate to the applicant’s career stage and prior training. 
• Develop professional skills needed to transition effectively to the next research career stage, such as scientific communication, grant-writing, lab management, team science, leadership development, and job search/interview skills. 
• Show intellectual ownership of an original research plan, consistent with, but not duplicative of, the mentor’s funded research.

Additionally, NIMH prioritizes:

• Postdoctoral candidates with less than 2 years of postdoctoral experience at the time of application (F32). 

Prospective applicants are highly encouraged to contact a NIMH Program Official prior to preparing an application by contacting [email protected].

• F31: Limited to the first 6 years of Ph.D. research training (excluding clinical internship); limited exceptions. 

Current NRSA stipends, tuition/fees, and budgetary levels apply.

Office of Research Training and Career Development
Email: [email protected]

NIMH supports activities in the mission areas of the NIMH, spanning basic neuroscience, human genetics/genomics, and translational research to interventions and mental health services research across the lifespan. NIMH also supports activities focused on behavioral and social science HIV research and/or HIV neuroscience research priorities.

Prospective applicants are highly encouraged to contact a NIMH Program Official prior to preparing an application by contacting [email protected]

Research Experiences: Supports the development and implementation of innovative research education to develop, maintain, and expand the scientific interests and abilities of psychiatry residents/clinical fellows during residency training/clinical fellowship. Programming includes part-time mentored hands-on research experiences and didactics that are not available through other formal NIH training mechanisms.  

Courses, Curriculum & Methods: Supports the development and implementation of innovative and interactive short courses that provide training in state-of-the-art research skills (e.g., tools, techniques, approaches). Each is expected to include both didactics and hands-on research experiences that support principles underlying rigorous and reproducible research. Course duration may vary but typically ranges from 1-12 weeks. NIMH prioritizes programs designed for a national audience.

Mentoring Activities & Networks: Supports networks that provide significant new opportunities that extend beyond mentoring, networking, or research education within academic programs, institutions, or pre-existing networks. NIMH prioritizes national or regional networks. For HIV-related mentoring activities & networks, NIMH is particularly interested in mentoring networks that also include research experience as a secondary element.

Activities may include, but are not limited to: 

• providing technical expertise, 
• professional career skills development, 
• facilitating scholarly writing and grantsmanship, and
• promoting successful transitions from one research career stage to another. 

NIMH only considers Research Education applications during January council.

• Predoctoral
• Postdoctoral/Residency
• Early Career
• Other

  Research Experiences: Psychiatric residents and psychiatric clinical fellows. 

  Course for Skills Development: Graduate/medical students, medical residents, postdoctoral scholars, and/or early-career investigators.

  Mentoring Networks: Graduate/medical students, medical residents, postdoctoral scholars, and/or early-career investigators.

Research Experiences: The maximum project period is 5 years.

Course for Skills Development: The maximum project period is 5 years.

Mentoring Networks: The maximum project period is 5 years.

Research education projects up to $200,000 in direct costs.

• Personnel costs (administrative and clerical costs, as well as salaries, including fringe benefits, of the PD/PI and other investigators/faculty) associated with directing, coordinating, and administering the program, not to exceed 25% of the total direct costs in any year. 
• Participant costs may include per diem unless such costs are furnished as part of the registration fee. 

Office of Research Training and Career Development
Email: [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 

1. Research and Development involving data collection from human subjects
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Preclinical and Clinical treatment/intervention development and testing with human subjects, also including testing/studies required by the FDA, or for reimbursement strategy.
5. Educational tools/technologies for neuroscience and mental health.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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]