The Neuroscience Capacity Accelerator For Mental Health (NCAMH) from the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) aims to accelerate the development of impactful neuroscience research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) by strengthening local capacities through targeted training and fostering collaborative research projects in neuroscience.

Funding Organization: International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)

Research Scope: neuroscience

Eligibility Collaboration Details:

• This program is open to researchers and clinicians with existing collaborations or those seeking new opportunities to expand their research with a small group of partners (typically 2-3 collaborators in total).
• Collaborations may be international or domestic.
• Project collaborators must be from different institutions. Collaborators from the same institution, even if they belong to different departments, do not meet this requirement.
• Applicants can be employed by higher education institutions, research institutes, non-academic healthcare organisations, or not-for-profit organizations.
• Individuals who have previously received a NCAMH grant (or previously served as a project collaborator) are not eligible to apply.

Project Leaders:

• Project leaders must be based in and affiliated with an institution in a LMIC and have the experience and support structures necessary to drive and lead a collaborative research project.
• Project leaders must hold independent investigator status at the LMIC institution, meaning they are eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on independent research grants.

Project Collaborators:

• Project collaborators are not required to be based in or affiliated with a LMIC.
• Project collaborators must hold independent investigator status if joining the project in the capacity of a researcher.
• Project collaborators must bring complementary skills and resources essential to the delivery of the project.

Project proposals should:

• Start from September 2025 and be for a duration of 9 months.
• Focus on advancing knowledge in neuroscience with relevance to furthering our understanding of the development and/or resolution of anxiety, depression and psychosis as broadly defined categorizations, or exploring new opportunities for early interventions in these conditions.
• Demonstrate the potential for long-term scientific collaboration, with a clear  plan for developing future research proposals.
• Address ethical considerations in both study design and uptake (if applicable).

Maximum Award: The Program provides up to 60,000 USD in funding and mentoring/networking opportunities. The in-person Capacity Building Seminar is a multi-day event scheduled to take place in early November 2025 in connection with the 7th Global Mental Health Summit in Cape Town, South Africa.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted to the IBRO grant portal: https://ibro.smapply.org/prog/neuroscience_capacity_accelerator_for_mental_health_2025/

Application Deadline: 30 April 2025

Further information: https://ibro.org/grant/neuroscience-capacity-accelerator-for-mental-health/