The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a collaborative framework involving 14 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices aimed at accelerating neuroscience discoveries and alleviating the burden of nervous system disorders. This Notice forecasts a potential Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for establishing the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Coordination Center for Interoception Research (BPCCIR). Interoception involves the processes by which an organism senses, interprets, integrates, and regulates internal bodily signals. The BPCCIR aims to promote multidisciplinary interoception research and bridge the gap between brain and body studies through a U24 cooperative agreement funding mechanism.

Aligned with the NIH Director's priorities, this NOFO focuses on improving population health through innovative research and collaboration by breaking traditional biomedical research boundaries that typically focus on one organ system at a time. The key objectives are to:

Establish and maintain a multidisciplinary team of interoception researchers to guide BPCCIR activities, ensuring academic freedom and fostering innovative approaches.

Develop digital communication platforms to facilitate networking, collaborations, and information dissemination, promoting research safety and transparency.

Plan, organize, and host at least one scientific meeting per year, involving NIH-funded interoception researchers, trainees, and other stakeholders to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Identify challenges and future opportunities in interoception research, develop common terminology, data standards, and common data elements to ensure reproducibility and rigor.

Generate metrics of success and plans to ensure the sustainability of the interoception research community, focusing on long-term improvements in population health.

Interoception research is critical for health promotion, offering insights into stress regulation, hunger, and emotional well-being —factors essential for preventing chronic diseases and mental health disorders. Impaired interoception is linked to conditions like obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders, which significantly impact the nation's healthcare burden. Advancing interoception research may lead to innovative strategies for disease prevention and treatment of complex diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, autism, chronic pain, Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and cardiovascular diseases.

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity include higher education institutions, non-profits, for-profit organizations, governments, and other entities capable of conducting multidisciplinary research. The target audience includes researchers and institutions with expertise in neuroscience, physiology, psychology, and biomedical sciences, all committed to advancing interoception research in alignment with NIH's strategic priorities.

Government

• Public and Indian housing authorities
• City or township governments
• State governments
• Federally recognized Native American tribal governments

Education

• Independent school districts
• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and state institutions of higher education

Nonprofit

• Nonprofits non-higher education with 501(c)(3)
• Other Native American tribal organizations

Business

• Small businesses
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses