The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has announced it is offering a second round of Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) for 2010. The program is calling for "innovative and groundbreaking research projects from early stage investigators to explore the complex mechanisms underlying mental disorders or novel treatments and prevention strategies." NIMH says any proposed projects should address research priorities and gap areas identified in the NIMH Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Objectives of the NIMH's Strategic Plan are:

--Promoting discovery in the brain and behavioral sciences to fuel research on the causes of mental disorders;

-- Charting mental illness trajectories to determine when, where and how to intervene;

--Developing new and better interventions that incorporate the diverse needs and circumstances of people with mental illnesses;

--Strengthening the public health impact of NIMH-supported research.

The NIMH says the Strategic Objectives are part of promotion of study of the brain and behavioral sciences that may lead to understanding mental illness across the lifespan and diverse populations. In addition, the NIMH wants to identify outstanding basic, translational and clinical investigators in the early state of their careers who can benefit from the assistance in launching innovative research programs.

Examples of research topics that address priorities, gaps and opportunities consistent with the four NIMH Strategic Objectives include but are not limited to:

--Discovery of biomarkers and associated neural mechanisms reflecting core components of psychiatric disorders;

--Incorporation of multi-modal research techniques and measures to map developmental trajectories of mental health relevant domains of function with the goal of identifying deviations from typical development and factors associated with prevention or repair;

--Basic and/or clinical research aimed at developing circuit-level screening approaches to identify novel therapeutic agents for mental disorders;

--Research on innovative service delivery models to maximize the public health impact of mental health services through enhanced accessibility, improved quality of care, and real-time feedback and monitoring of clinical and functional outcomes as well as provider and organizational performance.

Researchers interested in applying for these awards must submit their applications by Dec. 9, 2009. More information on the grants and electronic applications are available at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-10-060.html

"The creative and ambitious projects proposed by the first round of applicants, focused on neurodevelopment, have been very inspiring. We're honored to help foster the early careers of these scientists," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. on the NIMH website.

The re-issue of the initiative follows the NIMH awards of the first round of BRAINS grants in September. Those projects focused on neurodevelopment. The seven first-round awardees and their research topics are available on the NIMH website.

Adapted in part from an NIMH press release.

Link: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2009/nimh-seeks-more-brains.shtml?WT.mc_id=rss