Funding Opportunities

April 23, 2026

Cognitive Neuroscience of Development and Aging (CoNDA) Center
Funding Opportunity – CoNDA Core Usage Voucher Program
Cognitive Neuroscience of Development & Aging (CoNDA) Center

REQUEST FOR CORE VOUCHER APPLICATIONS

Application Deadline: 5:00PM on Monday, June 1, 2026

Program Summary: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Development & Aging (CoNDA) Center, a NIH/NIGMS funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), offers research vouchers to pay for services provided by CoNDA Research Cores, with the goal of supporting data collection for research proposals and stimulating new research directions within the Center’s theme. Successful applicants will receive services from CoNDA Center Cores for up to $5,000 (in $1,000 increments) to be utilized in 1 year. This program is targeted towards investigators in a faculty position at CoNDA participating institutions (UNMC, UNO, & Creighton). Applications proposing the study of animal models or human subjects will be considered.  

Pre-Evaluation from CoNDA Core Directors: Applicants must consult with the Core Directors to ensure feasibility of the proposed project and budget. Use of one or more Core is permitted. Core Director(s) will need to review and sign applications prior to final submission.

Translational Imaging & Behavioral Assessment (TIBA) Core:  

• In-Vivo Imaging Core: Padmashri Ragunathan, PhD (p.ragunathan@unmc.edu) (Multiphoton Miniscope now available for voucher applicants)
• Animal Behavior Core: Mystera Samuelson, PhD (mystera.samuelson@unmc.edu)
• Small Animal MRI Core: Yutong Liu, PhD (yutongliu@unmc.edu)

Neuroimaging Acquisition & Analysis (NA2) Core:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): David Warren, PhD (david.warren@unmc.edu)
• Magnetoencephalography (MEG): Valentina Gumenyuk, PhD (vgumenyuk@unmc.edu)

Voucher Application and Submission Information: Utilize the CoNDA Core Usage Voucher Program Application 2026 packet (attached to this RFA; download also available through CoNDA website) to generate your project proposal. Provide a 1-page description of the study design and the need for core usage. Voucher applications must describe how the results generated will be utilized to support new research proposals. Email completed and signed application with your NIH Biosketch to kpanas@unmc.edu by 5PM CST on June 1, 2026. Anticipated voucher start date is July 1, 2026, and funding must be used by June 30, 2027. Please note that extensions past this date are not possible, and the CoNDA Center reserves the right to reclaim any unused voucher funds after that date. If no award funds have been spent by April 1, 2027, the CoNDA Center may reclaim the award to reassign the funds to other investigators. Carryovers and extensions of these funds are not possible.

Click Here to download the CoNDA Core Usage Voucher Application file.