Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 168
The Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50) opportunity is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) center-style grant program designed to fund unusually ambitious, highly integrated team science in neuroscience and mental health research. The core idea is to support interdisciplinary research centers that bring together investigators working at different levels of analysis, for example spanning molecular and cellular neuroscience, circuits and systems, behavior, computational approaches, and human clinical or developmental studies. The FOA is aimed at projects that are explicitly high-risk and high-impact, and it emphasizes that the work should be greater than the sum of its parts, meaning the different projects and cores should be tightly coordinated and mutually reinforcing rather than loosely related subprojects housed under one umbrella.
In terms of scientific goals, the FOA highlights three main objectives. First, it seeks to push forward basic brain and behavior research that can uncover and dissect underlying mechanisms that ultimately lay the groundwork for understanding mental disorders. This includes foundational neuroscience that may not immediately look clinical but is expected to clarify how key neural and behavioral processes operate and fail. Second, it supports translational research efforts that intentionally integrate and translate between basic and clinical neuroscience, especially in the context of severe mental illnesses. That emphasis on translation is about building structured, two-way connections where clinical observations inform basic experiments and basic findings, in turn, refine hypotheses, biomarkers, or intervention targets relevant to patient populations. Third, it places strong value on research that explains neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories that begin in childhood and adolescence, with the goal of clarifying how psychopathology emerges over time, why risk increases or decreases across development, and what mechanisms shape different outcomes.
A major defining feature of the Conte Centers program is the expectation of extraordinary synergy and integration. The FOA signals that this mechanism is not intended for typical collections of related projects that could be supported through more standard NIH awards. Instead, applicants are expected to justify why the center mechanism is essential, for example because the research requires sustained, coordinated collaboration across disciplines, shared resources and cores, common experimental or analytic platforms, integrated datasets, and iterative feedback between projects that would be difficult to manage under separate grants. In practice, a competitive application would usually demonstrate a coherent unifying theme, a set of interdependent research projects, and shared cores that enable efficiency and cross-project innovation, all organized around a question or set of questions whose answers would meaningfully advance the field.
The FOA also underscores a training and research-experience component. Beyond producing scientific results, Conte Centers are framed as environments that can provide interdisciplinary research experiences for students and postdoctoral researchers. The intent is to cultivate scientists who can operate across boundaries (for example, bridging animal and human research or linking computational and experimental approaches), and who are trained in the collaborative workflows that center grants are meant to foster.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many government and academic entities as well as nonprofits and for-profits. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township, and 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other categories. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types 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, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws clear boundaries for foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or activities if they meet NIH policy requirements and are well-justified.
Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant in the health area and is associated with CFDA number 93.242. The funding opportunity number is PAR-17-168, with a listed creation date of February 17, 2017, and an original closing date of January 23, 2018. The announcement does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the text provided, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full FOA and NIH institute guidance for budget expectations, project period limits, and any institute-specific constraints.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as support for a center-level, team-based research program that aims to deliver major conceptual or mechanistic advances in neuroscience relevant to mental health, either through deeply integrative basic science, strong basic-to-clinical translation for severe mental illness, and/or developmental neuroscience focused on childhood and adolescent trajectories of psychopathology. The throughline is that the proposed center must be something that genuinely requires the P50 structure to succeed, and it should create a collaborative, cross-training research ecosystem that accelerates progress beyond what individual, stand-alone grants would typically accomplish.Apply for PAR 17 168
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-02-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50)
What is the Silvio O. Conte Centers (P50) funding opportunity?
It is an NIH center-style grant program that supports unusually ambitious, highly integrated team science in neuroscience and mental health research using the P50 mechanism. The program is designed for interdisciplinary research centers where projects and shared cores work together as one coordinated effort.
What is the main purpose of this program?
The program aims to fund high-risk, high-impact research centers whose combined work is greater than the sum of individual projects. It emphasizes tight coordination among projects and cores, shared platforms and resources, and iterative collaboration that would be difficult to achieve through separate, stand-alone grants.
What kinds of research does this FOA prioritize?
Based on the information provided, the FOA highlights three scientific objectives: (1) advancing basic brain and behavior research that uncovers underlying mechanisms relevant to understanding mental disorders; (2) supporting translational efforts that integrate basic and clinical neuroscience, especially for severe mental illnesses; and (3) emphasizing neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories beginning in childhood and adolescence to clarify how psychopathology emerges over time.
Does the FOA focus on basic science, clinical research, or both?
Both. It supports foundational basic neuroscience that may not appear immediately clinical but is expected to clarify core neural and behavioral processes. It also supports translational research that intentionally connects basic and clinical neuroscience in a structured, two-way way.
What does "high-risk, high-impact" mean in the context of this opportunity?
The FOA is explicitly aimed at projects that are ambitious and potentially transformative, where the work could generate major conceptual or mechanistic advances. The emphasis is on impactful outcomes made possible by tightly integrated team science rather than incremental progress from loosely connected projects.
What does "greater than the sum of its parts" mean for a Conte Center application?
It means the different research projects and shared cores should be interdependent and mutually reinforcing. The center should function as an integrated program where coordination, shared resources, common platforms, integrated datasets, and feedback between projects create added scientific value beyond what each project could do alone.
How integrated does the center need to be?
Integration is described as an extraordinary expectation and a defining feature. The FOA indicates this mechanism is not intended for a typical collection of related projects; applicants are expected to show strong synergy and explain why the center structure is essential to manage and accelerate the research.
What levels of analysis can a Conte Center span?
The FOA describes centers that bring together investigators working at different levels of analysis, such as molecular and cellular neuroscience, circuits and systems, behavior, computational approaches, and human clinical or developmental studies.
Is translational research required, or can the center be purely basic neuroscience?
The FOA supports both basic neuroscience and translational mental health research. The information provided indicates translational work is a major emphasis (especially for severe mental illnesses), but basic research is also a core objective when it clarifies mechanisms that lay groundwork for understanding mental disorders.
What does the FOA mean by two-way translation between basic and clinical research?
It refers to structured connections where clinical observations inform basic experiments, and basic findings refine hypotheses, biomarkers, or intervention targets relevant to patient populations. In other words, it is not a one-direction "bench to bedside" approach; it is iterative and bidirectional.
What is the developmental focus mentioned in the FOA?
The FOA places strong value on research that explains neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories starting in childhood and adolescence, with the goal of clarifying how psychopathology emerges, how risk changes across development, and what mechanisms drive different outcomes over time.
What makes this program different from applying for multiple standard NIH research grants?
The FOA stresses that this mechanism is not intended for typical collections of related projects that could be supported through more standard NIH awards. Applicants are expected to justify why a P50 center is essential (for example, because of sustained, coordinated collaboration across disciplines and shared cores/platforms that would be difficult to manage under separate awards).
Does the program include shared cores and resources?
Yes. The information provided emphasizes shared cores and common experimental or analytic platforms as part of how the center achieves efficiency, integration, and cross-project innovation.
Is training part of the Conte Centers program?
Yes. The FOA underscores a training and research-experience component, framing Conte Centers as environments for interdisciplinary research experiences for students and postdoctoral researchers, with the intent to cultivate scientists who can work across boundaries and collaborative workflows.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants listed include various government entities (state, county, city/township, special district), independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations (other than federally recognized governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other categories.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, and faith-based or community-based organizations. It also includes eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Can a foreign institution apply as the applicant organization?
No. The FOA states that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.
Are non-domestic components of U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
No. The FOA indicates that non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
Are foreign collaborations allowed at all?
Yes, in a limited way. The FOA notes that foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or activities if they meet NIH policy requirements and are well-justified.
What is the funding opportunity number for this FOA?
The funding opportunity number is PAR-17-168.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
It is associated with CFDA number 93.242.
When was this opportunity created, and what is the closing date listed?
The listed creation date is February 17, 2017, and the original closing date listed is January 23, 2018.
Does the information provided state the award ceiling or expected number of awards?
No. The text provided does not include an award ceiling or expected number of awards. It notes that applicants would typically need to consult the full FOA and NIH institute guidance for budget expectations, project period limits, and any institute-specific constraints.
What type of grant is this described as administratively?
It is described as a discretionary NIH grant in the health area, using the P50 center mechanism.
What is the overall "best fit" for this opportunity?
Based on the description provided, it best fits a center-level, team-based research program aiming to deliver major conceptual or mechanistic advances in neuroscience relevant to mental health through deeply integrative basic science, strong basic-to-clinical translation (especially for severe mental illness), and/or developmental neuroscience focused on childhood and adolescent trajectories of psychopathology.
What is the key expectation applicants must be able to justify?
Applicants are expected to justify why the P50 center mechanism is essential for the proposed work to succeed, particularly by demonstrating extraordinary synergy, interdependent projects, shared cores, coordinated platforms, and collaborative integration that would be difficult to achieve under separate grants.
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