BRAIN Initiative Fellows: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) | RFA MH 17 250

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 17 250

The BRAIN Initiative Fellows program uses the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship mechanism (F32) to support intensive, mentored research training for highly promising scientists at the very beginning of their postdoctoral careers. Its central goal is to help early postdocs build the skills, track record, and professional development needed to become independent, productive investigators working in areas that directly advance the aims of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The opportunity is intentionally broad in scientific scope as long as the proposed work aligns with BRAIN priorities, and it explicitly welcomes proposals in neuroethics alongside more traditional neuroscience and neurotechnology topics.

A key theme of the fellowship is training, not just research output. Applicants are expected to lay out a research training plan that clearly expands beyond what they did in their doctoral work. In other words, the proposed fellowship should complement the applicant's predoctoral research rather than simply continuing the same project with minimal change. The program also emphasizes that quantitative thinking and modern analytical approaches should be a formal, integrated part of the training experience, reflecting the BRAIN Initiative focus on data-rich neuroscience, advanced measurement, and rigorous computational or statistical methods. Reviewers generally look for a coherent plan that combines a strong scientific question with deliberate skill-building activities (for example, structured coursework, workshops, supervised hands-on methods training, or a planned progression of analytic competencies).

Eligibility is geared toward applicants who are extremely early in the postdoctoral timeline. The program encourages applications from individuals who have not yet completed their terminal doctoral degree but expect to finish within 12 months of the application due date, which is meant to capture candidates while they can still benefit maximally from structured postdoctoral training support. In addition, by the application due date, a candidate may not have completed more than 6 months of postdoctoral training. This rule signals that the fellowship is designed for the transition period into the postdoc, not for later-stage postdocs who already have extensive postdoctoral experience.

The administering agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the funding instrument is a discretionary grant under an education and health-related activity category. The opportunity was issued under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-17-250, and it listed an expected number of awards of about 20. The original closing date for the opportunity referenced in the provided notice was March 15, 2017, and the record does not specify an award ceiling amount in the supplied source fields.

The eligible applicant categories listed in the source data are broad and include many types of organizations that can serve as the applicant institution for an F32 fellowship arrangement. These include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The notice also calls out additional eligible groups such as 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, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. These categories indicate the program is open to a wide range of institutional environments capable of providing strong mentorship and a rigorous training setting.

Overall, this fellowship is best understood as a BRAIN-aligned, early-postdoctoral training award that prioritizes the applicant's growth into independence through a carefully constructed mentorship and training plan, with a strong expectation that quantitative and analytical skill development will be central to the proposed work and that the research direction will meaningfully extend the applicant's doctoral foundation into new BRAIN-relevant capabilities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BRAIN Initiative Fellows: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-09-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• 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 MH 17 250

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