NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research

Many neuroimaging tools and databases are underutilized because they are not easy to find, are not user-friendly, or are not compatible with other systems.  NITRC (www.nitrc.org) serves as a clearinghouse for neuroimaging tools and resources, and a forum where the research community can provide feedback about them.  NITRC users can compare and download software tools for collecting and analyzing functional neuroimaging data from fMRI, structural MRI, and other imaging modalities.  Users are encouraged to upload new tools, and to rate tools regarding ease of use, functionality, quality of documentation and support, and overall satisfaction.  The resources registered in NITRC include test data sets, image databases and forums where researchers can discuss trends and challenges in neuroimaging informatics.  Blueprint funding is made available for the improvement of existing tools and resources to make them better suited for dissemination via NITRC.

Since the site was launched in 2007, NITRC has become host to approximately 200 tools and resources, more than half of which had not been previously shared online.  In spring 2009, the American Council on Technology honored NITRC with an Excellence.gov award, recognizing it as “Best Overall” among 61 nominated government websites and IT programs.

NITRC and NIF are funded by the Institutes and Centers that comprise the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research.