Who funds neural circuit research?

We count 61 funded neural circuit projects, active between 2021 and 2034, from 4 funders. The most came from Wellcome (21 projects), EU · ERC (20 projects) and NIH · NINDS (8 projects). The median award is $2.6M, across the 57 of 61 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

61

Funders

4

Median award

$2.6M

Open calls now

2

Top funders of neural circuit research

Projects whose title or summary mentions neural circuit. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open neural circuit funding calls

2 open calls mention neural circuit today.

• BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: November 8, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 8 funded (13% · NIH R01-equivalent grants, all NIH institutes, FY2025)
• BRAIN Initiative: Integrative Team-Research BRAIN Circuits Program - iBCP (RM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthUp to $8,000,000Deadline: June 23, 2028 ·

Real odds

• About 1 in 8 funded · 13% · NIH R01-equivalent grants, all NIH institutes, FY2025 · NIH Data Book, report 29

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Funded neural circuit projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Spinal microcircuit resilience in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): mechanisms, translational insights and therapeutic windows
  Wellcome · £2,753,860 · ends 2034
• Brain Circuits for Hormonal Control: Sex differences and ageing in growth hormone regulation
  Wellcome · £2,085,862 · ends 2034
• Developmental control of neural cell number and type
  Wellcome · £3,099,984 · ends 2033
• Nonhuman Primate-Derived Enhancers for Studying Neural Circuit Functions
  NIH · NIMH · $4,028,357 · ends 2031
• Duke Conte Center for Basic Neuroscience on Kinase Signaling in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  NIH · NIMH · $3,068,480 · ends 2031
• Synaptic plasticity mechanisms that protect and refine local circuits
  NIH · NIMH · $3,093,180 · ends 2030
• How does the brain find the way: investigating the neural circuits underlining the sense of direction
  UKRI · BBSRC · ends 2028
• Neural Circuits Enabling Navigational Simulations
  EU · ERC · €1,994,360 · ends 2028
• Oxytocin Modulation of Neural Circuit Function and Behavior
  NIH · NINDS · $4,251,972 · ends 2028
• Mechanisms of neural circuit dynamics in working memory and decision-making
  NIH · NINDS · $4,221,697 · ends 2028

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “neural circuit or neural circuits”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.