THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT:  PHASE I FEASIBILITY STUDIES

NIH GUIDE, Volume 23, Number 33, September 16, 1994



PA NUMBER:  PA-93-068



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Brain 

  Neuroscience 

  Information Science/Systems 



National Institute of Mental Health

National Institute on Drug Abuse

National Institute on Aging

National Institute on Child Health and Human Development

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

National Library of Medicine

Fogarty International Center

National Institute of Dental Research

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

National Science Foundation

Office of Naval Research

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Department of Energy



For those intending to apply for grants under the Human Brain Project,

this addendum is meant to supplement the program announcement PA-

93-068; NIH Guide, Vol. 22, No. 13, April 2, 1993, which is still in

effect and must be consulted in conjunction with this addendum.



The Human Brain Project is a broadly based Federal research initiative,

supported in a coordinated fashion by 14 Federal organizations across

five Federal agencies.  The general purpose of this initiative is to

encourage and support investigator-initiated, basic and clinical

neuroscience and behavioral research and development of computer-based

resources that could be used to facilitate research on the brain and

its functions.  Particular emphasis is placed on research and

development of tools and approaches to store and manipulate information

about the brain and behavior, as well as electronic network

technologies which will give scientists access to the stored

information and the ability to integrate and synthesize information.

The network tools will also provide electronic channels of

communication and collaboration to geographically distant laboratories.

These capabilities and approaches are referred to here as informatics

and include areas such as computer science, mathematics, statistics,

and engineering.  The combination of brain and behavioral research with

informatics research constitutes the developing field of

neuroinformatics.



To optimize their utility to brain and behavioral researchers, these

technologies and approaches will be developed in the context of

specific, ongoing, research on the brain and its functions.  Thus, all

applications need to have an informatics science research component as

well as a research component related to the brain and/or behavior.  It

is, therefore, expected that each application will include a

multidisciplinary research team.



Application components related to ethical, legal, and social issues

pertinent to this initiative are encouraged.  Also encouraged are

components of applications that are designed to reach out to the

public, academic, and/or commercial sectors and educate them about the

opportunities that are presented by research and development of

neuroinformatics.



Participation in an Annual Spring Meeting held in the Washington, DC

area is encouraged.  In applications for the R01 mechanism, funds to

support travel to this meeting should be included in the budget for the

principal investigator and up to one additional key member of the

research team.  In applications for the P20 mechanism, funds to support

travel to this meeting should be included in the budget for the

principal investigator (the director of the grant), the director of

each subproject, and up to one additional key member from the P20

research team.



All applications for these feasibility research grants should include

a detailed, year-by-year timetable of specific goals.  Applications

should:



o  Contain both a brain and/or behavioral research component AND an

informatics research component that are well integrated and which

promise to move both fields forward



o  Include a specific plan to monitor progress and evaluate tools and

approaches being developed



Dates for the submission and resubmission of Phase I Human Brain

Project applications and review cycles are as follows:



Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 1

Application Receipt Date:       October 15

Administrative Review:          October

Scientific Review:              February/March

Advisory Council Review:        May/June

Earliest Start Date:            July



It should be noted that there is no additional receipt date for

resubmitted applications or for competitive continuations (i.e.,

renewals).  All applications, initial submissions, resubmissions, and

competitive continuations will be received only once a year, October

15.



Applicants may apply for Interactive Research Project Grants (IRPGs) in

addition to the R01 and P20 mechanisms.  The IRPG allows for formal

interactions between and among research efforts that are funded

independently.  The IRPG encourages collaborative relationships that do

not require extensive, shared, physical resources.  A minimum of two

independent investigators may submit concurrent, collaborative,

cross-referenced individual R01/R29 applications.  The proposed

projects must not be dependent on each other to the extent that one

could not be accomplished in the absence of the other.  Applications

may be from one or more institutions.  Applications will be reviewed

independently for scientific merit.  Applications judged to have

significant and substantial scientific merit will be considered for

funding both as independent awards and in the context of the proposed

IRPG collaboration.  Those interested in applying for an IRPG should

consult Program Announcement PA-94-086, NIH Guide, Vol. 23, Number 28,

July 29, 1994.



Grantees will be encouraged to take steps to perfect copyright

protection of software produced as a result of Human Brain Project

funding.  These should include prominent notification in the software

and its documentation that the software is copyrighted.  Notification

could consist of the following:  "c Copyright [year] by [your name, the

names of you and your colleagues, or the name of your institution] with

funding from the Human Brain Project."



This notification will identify the source of the software and help

ensure that the software can be shared freely while protecting any

commercial rights in it.  In addition, grantees will be required to

agree that they will provide the primary funding organization, upon its

request and at a reasonable cost, a copy of any software produced under

Human Brain Project funding, with the understanding that the Federal

organizations directly involved with the Human Brain Project will have

the right to use such software for internal research and archival

purposes only and will not permit its distribution beyond those

organizations.



INQUIRIES



Women, minorities, and those with disabilities are especially

encouraged to apply.  Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to

contact the Agency or Institute representative to discuss their plans

prior to preparing an application.  The names of the representatives

from each of the participating Agencies, Institutes, and Center may be

obtained from:



Michael F. Huerta, Ph.D.

National Institute of Mental Health

5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11-103

Rockville, MD  20857

Telephone:  (301) 443-5625

FAX:  (301) 443-1731

E-mail (internet):  [email protected]



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