ANNOUNCEMENT OF US-JAPAN BRAIN RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM (BRCP) 
- THE US COMPONENT

RELEASE DATE:  September 15, 2003

NOTICE: NOT-NS-03-024

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
 (http://www.ninds.nih.gov)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
 (http://www.nida.nih.gov)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
 (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov)
National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
 (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov)

APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE:  October 27, 2003

BACKGROUND

The "Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America 
and the Government of Japan on Cooperation in Research and Development 
in Science and Technology" was signed by the President of the United 
States of America and the Prime Minister of Japan on May 1, 1980 and 
subsequently renewed and extended.  Under the umbrella of this 
Agreement, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 
(NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA and the National 
Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki National Research 
Institutes, Japan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a 
Brain Research Cooperative Program (BRCP) on November 29, 2000.  The 
focus of the BRCP is to support studies of molecular, cellular, and 
integrative mechanisms of brain function.  The BRCP supports the 
following three designated activities: 1) research collaboration 
between scientists in the U.S. and Japan; 2) exchange and training of 
scientists; and 3) information exchange via meetings or workshops.  The 
funding policy of the program is that each country will support its own 
scientists who participate in these activities.  The Japanese component 
of the BRCP has been active since 2001.  Details of the Japanese 
component of BRCP are available on the following website: 
http://www.nips.ac.jp/jusnou/english/

The participating NIH Institutes are now accepting proposals from US 
neuroscientists who plan to participate in BRCP.  The Receipt date for 
applications in response to this Notice is October 27, 2003.

SCOPE

The following activities will be supported by the BRCP: 

1) Research collaboration (funding of this activity is not a research 
award, but is intended to cover travel expenses and living costs of the 
US scientists during their research visit to the Japanese 
collaborators' laboratories (up to three months);

2) Scientific training for junior and senior US scientists in Japanese 
laboratories (up to three months); and

3) Meetings or workshops held in the US, which are organized and 
attended by collaborators and trainees under the BRCP. 

MECHANISMS OF SUPPORT

1) US scientists without NIH funding, who plan to travel to Japan to 
attend a BRCP meeting/workshop or receive training or to conduct 
collaborative research on short-term (up to three months) visits can 
apply for BRCP TRAVEL FUNDS from the participating NIH Institutes.

2) US scientists with research funding from the participating NIH 
Institutes can apply for an ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT to their existing 
NIH grants from the participating NIH Institutes to support travel and 
living costs in Japan for themselves or personnel supported by their 
research grants to attend a BRCP meeting/workshop, to receive training, 
or to conduct collaborative research on short-term (up to three months) 
visits.

3) US organizers of small-scale meetings or workshops, which will be 
held in the US and are directly related to research collaborations 
under the US-Japan BRCP, can apply for BRCP MEETING FUNDS from the 
participating NIH Institutes.

HOW TO APPLY

An original and five copies of the application should be sent by mail 
or courier to the NINDS program staff contact listed at the end of this 
notice.  The application packet should include a PHS-398 face page 
citing this NOTICE (line 2).  The PI and the institutional official 
must sign the face  page.  

A. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to attend a BRCP 
meeting or workshop the following information is required in the 
application:

1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email 
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH 
institute if applicable).
2) The title, agenda, location, and dates of the meeting or workshop
3) A justification for attending the meeting or workshop
4) A proposed budget (not to exceed $3,000)

B. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to receive training 
the following information is required in the application:

1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email 
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH 
institute if applicable).
2) The Japanese host's name, title, affiliation, phone number, email 
address, and Biographical Sketch
3) A description of the training plan (250-500 words)
4) A proposed period, from (date) to (date)
5) A proposed budget (not to exceed $10,000) 
6) An invitation letter from the Japanese host

C. For a US scientist who plans to travel to Japan to conduct research 
collaboration the following information is required in the application:

1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email 
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH 
institute if applicable).
2) The Japanese collaborator's name, title, affiliation, phone number, 
email address, and Biographical Sketch
3) An abstract of the research plan (250-500 Words)
4) A proposed period: from (date) to (date)
5) A proposed budget (not to exceed $10,000) 
6) An invitation letter from the Japanese collaborator

D. For a US scientist who has already participates in the BRCP and 
plans to organize a BRCP meeting or workshop in the US the following 
information is required in the application:

1) The US scientist's name, title, affiliation, phone number and email 
address, Biographical Sketch, Current Support (citing participating NIH 
institute if applicable).
2) The title of the meeting or workshop
3) The Japanese organizer's name, title, affiliation, address, phone 
number, email address, and Biographical Sketch
4) The proposed location
5) The proposed period, from (date) to (date)
6) The content and purpose of the meeting or workshop including topics, 
name of speakers, and tentative agenda
7) A proposed budget (not to exceed $25,000)

REVIEW PROCEDURE

Applications in response to this solicitation will be reviewed by the 
Joint BRCP Steering-Review Committee, which includes scientists from 
the US and Japan.  Applicants will be notified of the decisions on 
their proposals in December 2003. 

SELECTION CRITERIA

The NIH anticipates funding one to two BRCP meetings or workshops in 
the US, up to five US scientists for short-term (up to 3 months) visits 
to Japan, and 10-15 US scientists to attend BRCP meetings or workshops 
in Japan each year.  The selection process will be competitive across 
all applications and activities. Criteria for the selection of 
successful applications include:

1) Scientific merit 
2) Relevance to the mission and areas of research interests of the 
participating NIH Institutes

Areas of research interests of the participating NIH Institutes:

o NINDS supports research on the healthy and diseased brain, spinal 
cord, peripheral nerves, and mechanisms underlying neurological and 
neuromuscular disorders.

o NIMH supports an integrated program of basic and clinical research in 
biology, neuroscience, epidemiology, behavioral sciences as well as 
services research aimed at developing and assessing new approaches to 
diagnose, prevent and treat mental illness.

o NIDA supports basic, clinical, and applied research on the causes, 
consequences, prevention and treatment of drug abuse and addiction.

o NIDCD encourages collaborative basic and clinical biomedical and bio-
behavioral research in the communication sciences of hearing, balance, 
smell, taste, voice, speech and language.

o NIDCR supports research on molecular mechanisms regulating normal 
craniofacial development; genetic and environmental influences on 
abnormal craniofacial disorders; and the etiology and pathophysiology 
of chronic pain in orofacial tissues with a focus on the 
temporomandibular joint.

RECEIPT DATE: October 27, 2003 (future receipt dates will be announced 
in the NIH Guide)

INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:

Dr. Yuan Liu
Program Director, NINDS, NIH
Staff Member, Joint BRCP Steering-Review Committee
6001 Executive Blvd. NSC Room 2110
Bethesda, MD 20892 (USPS)
Tel: 301-496-1917
Email: [email protected]

OTHER RELATED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

Other funding opportunities for activities related to US-Japan 
collaboration on neuroscience (not part of this solicitation)

1) US postdoctoral fellows who plan to receive training in a Japanese 
laboratory can apply for the RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH 
SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS (F32) 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-067.html

2) US independent scientists who plan to receive training or conduct 
collaborative research in a Japanese laboratory for long-term (four 
months to a year) can apply for the NIH NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE 
AWARDS FOR SENIOR FELLOWS (F33) 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-00-131.html

3) For large-scale meetings or workshops that have larger impact on the 
neuroscience research community can apply for the NIH CONFERENCE GRANT 
(R13). http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-151.html

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