NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Functional Neural Circuits of Interoception (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AT 21 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AT 21 003

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Functional Neural Circuits of Interoception (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity, listed as RFA-AT-21-003, is a discretionary NIH grant designed to push forward basic neuroscience research on interoception. The NIH Blueprint is a coordinated effort across 14 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices to speed up neuroscience discovery and ultimately reduce the burden of nervous system disorders. In this specific call, the emphasis is not on clinical testing, but on building a stronger foundational understanding of how the nervous system monitors and regulates the body from the inside out.

The central scientific goal is to dissect functional neural circuits that link peripheral organs and tissues to the central nervous system through peripheral ganglia. In practical terms, the FOA is aiming at the wiring and signaling routes that carry internal body-state information (such as signals related to organ function, inflammation, metabolic state, visceral pain, and other internal conditions) from the periphery into the nervous system, and how the nervous system interprets, integrates, and uses that information to regulate physiology and behavior. The FOA defines interoception broadly as the set of processes by which an organism senses, interprets, integrates, and regulates signals originating within itself, which leaves room for projects that span from sensation and encoding to central integration and downstream regulatory responses.

This opportunity encourages interdisciplinary, innovative projects that can explain interoceptive mechanisms at multiple levels of analysis. Applicants are nudged to combine diverse expertise and toolsets, which may include molecular and genetic approaches to identify relevant cell types and receptors, cellular and synaptic studies to clarify how signals are transmitted and transformed, circuit-mapping strategies to trace connections across peripheral ganglia and into the brain and spinal cord, functional approaches to determine what those circuits do during physiological challenges, and behavioral or systems-level experiments that link circuit activity to adaptive regulation. The overarching expectation is that awarded projects will clarify how peripheral-to-central interoceptive pathways are organized and how they operate, generating knowledge that can serve as a platform for later translational work.

A key boundary in the announcement is the anatomical and conceptual focus on peripheral-to-central pathways via peripheral ganglia. Projects that study interoceptive circuits exclusively within the central nervous system are steered toward other mechanisms of support, with the FOA explicitly pointing researchers to consider BRAIN Initiative opportunities for purely CNS-focused circuit investigations. Also, as stated in the title and eligibility conditions, this R01 does not allow clinical trials, signaling that the intended portfolio is basic and mechanistic rather than interventional human research.

On the administrative side, this is an NIH R01 grant mechanism under CFDA listings that include multiple NIH program areas (for example 93.113, 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.350, 93.361, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867), reflecting the cross-cutting, consortium-like nature of Blueprint funding. The opportunity was created on 2020-09-02, with an original closing date of 2020-12-18. The posted award ceiling is $375,000 (as provided in the source summary). The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common domestic applicant types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories often associated with expanding participation and capacity, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible agencies of the federal government, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in a way that is typical for many NIH opportunities but worth stating clearly. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain well-justified foreign elements or collaborations within NIH policy limits.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at advancing rigorous, mechanistic neuroscience that explains how internal bodily signals are detected and carried through peripheral ganglia into the central nervous system, how those signals are integrated, and how they shape regulation and behavior. The intended payoff is a clearer map and functional understanding of interoceptive circuitry that can later inform translational and clinical research on interoception-related contributions to nervous system disorders, without requiring or permitting clinical trials within this particular funding call.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Functional Neural Circuits of Interoception (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.350, 93.361, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-09-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-12-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $375,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA AT 21 003

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: