Short Courses on Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences Research on Aging (R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 22 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 009

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offered this R25 education grant opportunity (RFA-AG-22-009) to fund short, intensive courses that build skills and accelerate progress in behavioral and social sciences research related to aging. The central purpose is training focused on a small set of high-priority topic areas chosen by NIA, with the bigger goal of strengthening the research workforce and improving the rigor and impact of aging research in the social and behavioral sciences. This announcement is strictly for educational and training activities; it is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applicants should not propose studies that meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial as part of the course-supported work.

The FOA concentrates on three priority areas. First is genomics for social scientists, which typically involves helping researchers who are trained primarily in social and behavioral disciplines gain practical literacy in genetic and genomic concepts, data types, and methods, and learn how to integrate biological measures with social and environmental exposures in aging research. Second is interdisciplinary social science research in aging, emphasizing approaches that bridge disciplines (for example, sociology, economics, psychology, demography, epidemiology, public health, and policy) to better understand aging-related processes, outcomes, and inequalities. Third is reproducibility in the social and behavioral sciences, which generally covers research transparency, robust study design, documentation, open science practices where appropriate, analytic workflow management, sensitivity analyses, and other methods that improve the credibility and replicability of findings in aging research.

Funding is provided as a discretionary NIH grant under the health funding activity category (CFDA 93.866). The listing includes an award ceiling of $139,000. The opportunity originally closed on October 4, 2021, and was created on March 23, 2021. While the announcement does not spell out course format in the excerpt, R25 short-course awards commonly support curriculum development and delivery, instructional personnel, training materials, and trainee-related course costs consistent with NIH policy, with the expectation that the course will measurably enhance participant skills in the targeted priority areas.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it places clear limits on foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed.

In practical terms, this FOA was designed for U.S.-based organizations that can convene and train researchers through well-structured short courses aligned with NIA priorities, especially courses that help social and behavioral scientists (and interdisciplinary teams) modernize their toolkits in genomics, strengthen cross-field aging research, and adopt reproducible, transparent research practices.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Short Courses on Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences Research on Aging (R25 - 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 2021-03-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-10-04. (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 $139,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for RFA AG 22 009

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: