Neural Ensembles & Used Substances (NExUS) Collaboratory: Building a Multimodal Inventory of Cell Ensembles Encoding the Effects of Addictive Substances (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) invites applications to renew and expand the Collaboratory on Neural Ensembles and Used Substances (NExUS). NExUS is a collaborative research program to decode how substance use experiences and addictive neurobehavioral states are represented in the brain at the level of cell populations. This funding opportunity seeks applications that propose systematic and scalable methods to identify, map, and analyze groups of neurons that respond to used substances. The goal is to create a comprehensive, multimodal database and use it to test hypotheses about how specific neural population activity patterns relate to behavioral states associated with substance use and substance use disorders (SUD), including intoxication, craving, and dependence.

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility · Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations · Non-domestic (non-U. · S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply. · Non-domestic (non-U. · S.) components of U. · S. Organizations are eligible to apply. · Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. · NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. See NIH Grants Policy Statement 16.8 Collaborative International Research Awards. · Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

The following considerations will be used in determining projects to be funded: (1) Scientific and technical merit; (2) the feasibility of the research; (3) potential contribution to the national drug abuse problem; and (4) relevance to NIDA priorities. The following criteria will be used in considering the scientific and technical merit of SBIR/STTR Phase I grant applications: (1) The soundness and technical merit of the proposed approach; (2) the qualifications of the proposed principal investigator, supporting staff, and consultants; (3) the technological innovation of the proposed research; (4) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application; (5) the appropriateness of the budget requested; (6) the adequacy and suitability of the facilities and research environment; and (7) where applicable, the adequacy of assurances detailing the proposed means for (a) safeguarding human or animal subjects and/or (b) protecting against or minimizing any adverse effect on the environment. Phase II grant applications will be reviewed based upon the following criteria: (1) The degree to which the Phase I objectives were met and feasibility demonstrated; (2) the scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach for achieving the Phase II objectives; (3) the qualifications of the proposed principal investigator, supporting staff, and consultants; (4) the technology.