The Neurotechnology Innovation Center (NTICe) at BHI Pilot Grant Funding Program 2026
The Neurotechnology Innovation Center (NTICe) and Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) announce the availability of funds to support interdisciplinary and innovative research collaborations that will lead to the development and improvement of neurotechnological approaches that advance the diagnosis, management and treatment of nervous system disorders and trauma.
Funding:
Maximum award amount: $25,000 in direct cost per project.
Funding period: One year
Application Deadlines:
Grant Application Deadline: March 5, 2026, by 11:59 PM EST.
Grant Award Date: June 1, 2026.
The application should be submitted as a single pdf with the file name “Last name-NTICepilot2026.pdf” to Dr. Denise Fedele (df543@rwjms.rutgers.edu)
Up to 4 grants will be funded.
Program Objectives
The objective of the NTICe pilot grant program is to support innovative ideas and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research to advance the development of transformational neurotechnologies that can be translated from the bench to the bedside and applied in the clinic. The program is expected to draw together investigators across multiple disciplines and expertise, foster collaborations between Rutgers faculty and the scientific community in other institutions, and build a network of partnership between scientists, engineers, clinician-scientists, clinicians and industry.
The goal of the pilot grants is to facilitate the generation of preliminary data that will lead to comprehensive and multi-year extramural funding applications. Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to, neuromodulation, neuroprosthetics, neurorehabilitation/robotics, brain-computer interfaces, advanced brain imaging, nanomedicine, computational medicine, NeuroAI and AI in healthcare. Proposed projects must be collaborative and should include at least two principal investigators (PIs) with cross-disciplinary expertise.
Eligibility
Faculty across Rutgers Health, Rutgers School of Engineering, School of Art and Sciences and School of Health Professions are invited to apply. The collaborative team should include faculty members from different disciplines.
- At least two PIs who are Rutgers-affiliated faculty members with primary appointments in different departments/schools or
- At least one Rutgers-affiliated faculty member (PI) and a co-PI or co-investigator affiliated with other institution(s).
- The Rutgers faculty should be eligible to serve as PI on proposals for extramural funding.
- No more than one proposal per faculty in each cycle.
Criteria for proposal evaluation and funding
- Novelty, significance and anticipated impact of the project.
- Quality of the approach and feasibility within the funding period.
- Well-defined endpoints for the funding period.
- High potential for subsequent extramural funding and/or patent applications.
- Appropriate budget.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Stella Elkabes (elkabest@njms.rutgers.edu) or Dr. Denise Fedele (df543@rwjms.rutgers.edu).
Learn more about the application guidelines and post-funding requirements.
