Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded the University of Pennsylvania a $221,302 Project Grant on March 1, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242). This two-year exploratory research project (R21 grant mechanism) aims to systematically assess the impact of mandatory National Institutes of Health (NIH) neuroethics requirements on the ethical design and conduct of brain-related human subjects research. The primary deliverables include empirical research findings documenting stakeholders' experiences with and attitudes toward neuroethics mandates, identification of effective strategies researchers have developed to address neuroethics in their work, and recommendations for improving the implementation and guidance of these requirements.

The project will produce these outcomes through two complementary research approaches: conducting in-depth interviews with researchers who received NIH grants requiring neuroethics sections (Aim 1) and surveying professionals who review neuroethics components of grant applications (Aim 2). The research addresses the broad neuroethics integration initiative outlined in RFA-MH-25-171 and will directly inform NIH policy and guidance development regarding unique ethical issues in neuroscience research, such as post-trial responsibilities, brain data privacy, and atypical risks including personality changes. The project is scheduled for completion by February 29, 2028.