Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 20 014
The Geroscience Approaches to Alzheimer's Disease (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-20-014) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services that supports early-stage, exploratory studies examining how the biology of aging specifically contributes to Alzheimer's disease. The central idea behind the program is that aging is the dominant risk factor for Alzheimer's and many other chronic conditions, and that modern advances in geroscience now make it realistic to investigate, in a mechanistic way, how age-related biological processes drive the onset, progression, or treatment responsiveness of Alzheimer's disease. Rather than treating aging as a background variable, applicants are expected to treat aging biology as a causal and testable component of Alzheimer's disease research.
The FOA is explicitly geared toward projects that apply geroscience principles and directly test how one or more "hallmarks of aging" influence Alzheimer's disease biology. In practical terms, competitive proposals would be expected to connect age-associated mechanisms (for example, cellular senescence, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, altered intercellular communication and inflammation, stem cell exhaustion, epigenetic alterations, genomic instability, or dysregulated nutrient sensing) to Alzheimer's-related outcomes in a way that generates actionable insight. This could include identifying mechanistic links between aging pathways and Alzheimer's pathology, using aging-relevant model systems, or exploring how modifying aging-related mechanisms changes Alzheimer's-relevant phenotypes. The emphasis is on research that is truly integrative: it needs to be about Alzheimer's disease through the lens of aging biology, not simply basic aging research with no Alzheimer's focus, and not standard Alzheimer's research that merely includes older subjects without testing aging mechanisms.
Applications that focus only on aging biology without a clear Alzheimer's disease connection, or projects focused only on Alzheimer's disease without a clear, mechanistic test of aging biology, are considered nonresponsive and would not be appropriate for this announcement. In addition, the funding mechanism is an R21, which generally supports exploratory, high-impact, and potentially higher-risk ideas intended to generate preliminary data or establish feasibility. The announcement also specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the proposed work should not be designed as a prospective human clinical trial evaluating an intervention on health outcomes, even if human data or human biospecimens might be used in other allowable ways consistent with NIH definitions.
In terms of administrative details, this is a discretionary grant program in the health funding category (CFDA 93.866). The listed award ceiling is $200,000, and the agency anticipated making about 8 awards under this opportunity. Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the full eligibility language. The opportunity was created on March 5, 2019, and the original closing date was July 2, 2019.Apply for RFA AG 20 014
- The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Geroscience Approaches to Alzheimer's Disease (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 05, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 02, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: Geroscience Approaches to Alzheimer's Disease (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) - RFA-AG-20-014
What is this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH research grant opportunity from the Department of Health and Human Services titled Geroscience Approaches to Alzheimer's Disease (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), with FOA number RFA-AG-20-014. It supports early-stage, exploratory research that tests how the biology of aging contributes to Alzheimer's disease.
What is the main scientific goal of the program?
The program is built around the idea that aging is the dominant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other chronic conditions. It aims to support studies that treat aging biology as a causal, testable driver of Alzheimer's disease onset, progression, or treatment responsiveness, rather than treating age as a simple background variable.
What type of NIH grant mechanism is used?
The opportunity uses the R21 mechanism, which is generally intended for exploratory, early-stage, potentially high-impact projects. R21 projects often involve generating preliminary data, demonstrating feasibility, or testing higher-risk ideas.
Are clinical trials allowed under this announcement?
No. The announcement specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed". Proposed work should not be designed as a prospective human clinical trial that evaluates an intervention on health outcomes (as defined by NIH). The description also indicates that human data or human biospecimens may still be used in allowable ways, as long as the project does not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.
What kinds of research projects are considered responsive?
Responsive projects are expected to apply geroscience principles and directly test how one or more hallmarks of aging influence Alzheimer's disease biology. Competitive proposals should connect age-associated mechanisms to Alzheimer's-related outcomes in a way that produces actionable mechanistic insight.
What does it mean to study Alzheimer's disease "through the lens of aging biology"?
It means the study should explicitly treat aging-related biological processes as mechanistic contributors to Alzheimer's disease. The work should test how aging processes drive Alzheimer's-relevant outcomes (such as disease onset, progression, pathology, or responsiveness to treatment), rather than simply studying Alzheimer's in older subjects without interrogating aging mechanisms.
What are examples of "hallmarks of aging" mentioned in the opportunity description?
The description provides examples including: cellular senescence, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, altered intercellular communication and inflammation, stem cell exhaustion, epigenetic alterations, genomic instability, and dysregulated nutrient sensing.
What kinds of approaches might fit the program priorities?
Based on the description, fitting approaches could include (1) identifying mechanistic links between aging pathways and Alzheimer's pathology, (2) using aging-relevant model systems to study Alzheimer's biology, or (3) exploring whether modifying aging-related mechanisms changes Alzheimer's-relevant phenotypes. The key is that the research remains integrative and mechanistic, connecting aging biology to Alzheimer's outcomes.
What types of applications are considered nonresponsive?
Applications are considered nonresponsive if they focus only on aging biology without a clear Alzheimer's disease connection, or if they focus only on Alzheimer's disease without a clear, mechanistic test of aging biology. In other words, the project needs both: a real Alzheimer's disease focus and a direct test of aging mechanisms.
Is this opportunity meant for early-stage or exploratory work?
Yes. The use of the R21 mechanism indicates the opportunity is aimed at exploratory and potentially higher-risk studies that can establish feasibility or generate initial evidence supporting a novel geroscience-based Alzheimer's research direction.
What is the CFDA number and funding category?
The opportunity is listed in the health funding category and includes CFDA 93.866.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
How many awards did the agency expect to make?
The agency anticipated making about 8 awards under this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as broad. The listed eligible applicant types include: state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the full eligibility language.
When was this funding opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on March 5, 2019, and the original closing date was July 2, 2019.
Does the announcement require that aging mechanisms be tested, rather than simply described?
Yes. The description emphasizes that applicants are expected to treat aging biology as a causal and testable component of Alzheimer's disease research. Projects that merely include older subjects without testing aging mechanisms are described as not aligned with the intent of the announcement.
Can a project be purely basic aging research if it is scientifically strong?
Not under this announcement, based on the description provided. The FOA emphasizes that projects must be about Alzheimer's disease in a geroscience framework. Basic aging research without an Alzheimer's focus is described as nonresponsive.
Can a standard Alzheimer's disease project qualify if it includes older participants or older animals?
Not by itself. The description indicates that standard Alzheimer's studies that merely include older subjects are not sufficient unless they also include a clear, mechanistic test of aging biology and show how aging processes influence Alzheimer's-relevant outcomes.
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