Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (ADAR) through Undergraduate Education Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Key Dates

• February 22, 2024 - NIA MSTEM: Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (ADAR) through Undergraduate Education (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See PAR-24-135.

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications to develop and maintain a coordinating center (CC) for the Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (ADAR) through Undergraduate Education Program. It is anticipated that the NOFO will be a companion funding opportunity of PAR-24-135, “NIA MSTEM: Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (ADAR) through Undergraduate Education (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed),” or a subsequent reissue of PAR-24-135.

The NOFO is expected to be published in Spring 2025 with an expected application due date in May 2025. These are estimated time frames, and they may change.

The NOFO is expected to utilize the Resource-Related Research Projects – Cooperative Agreements (U24) activity code. 

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. 

 Additional details of the planned NOFO are provided below.

The ADAR program is a well-established, NIA-specific research education program which provides intensive research experiences in the aging field with the goal of preparing undergraduate students from all backgrounds, including those from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to transition into strong, research-focused advanced degree programs or competitive private sector research careers in aging-related disciplines. It is expected that the ADAR CC will serve as a hub for the ADAR National Network and a bridge of integration between ADAR programs and NIA resources, programs, and infrastructure, and provide broad administrative, coordination, logistical support, and program management for the overall ADAR program and individual sites as outlined below.

The primary responsibilities of the ADAR CC will be to provide infrastructure, including programmatic support, for the ADAR program overall and complement the activities of individual ADAR programs. Activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Develop a network and foster networking and collaboration across ADAR programs, the NIA, and NIA-supported resources, programs, and infrastructure
• Support program-wide communication by creating and maintaining an interactive ADAR CC website platform to identify and share research and training resources
• Provide program-wide coordination to support participants' research education experiences through webinars, virtual seminars, in-person learning activities, and relevant career resources
• Collect relevant data and conduct cross-site and cross-program analysis and evaluations, including use of data from previous ADAR cohorts, to document impact, trends, and trajectories
• Plan, arrange, and facilitate program-wide ADAR annual meetings and other ADAR PD(s)/PI(s) meetings for the program overall as needed

This Notice encourages all interested parties to consider applying to the NOFO, including the following:

• Investigators with the following experience:
  • Expertise in aging and/or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) research,
  • A demonstrated commitment to promote broad participation in the aging and/or AD/ADRD research workforce, and
  • Strong evidence of expertise in program administration, program coordination, and program evaluation 
• Collaborative teams of investigators combining expertise in the above domains

It is not necessary for applicants to be a part of an active ADAR program. However, applicants are expected to be or become familiar with the structure, functioning, and activities of the ADAR program.

Funding Information

Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
U.S. Territory or Possession
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entity (Foreign Organization)
Regional Organization
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government

Applications are not being solicited at this time. 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Maria Carranza, Ph.D.
Office of Strategic Extramural Programs
[email protected]

Delany Torres, Ph.D.
Division of Behavioral and Social Research
[email protected] 

Shreaya Chakroborty, Ph.D.
Division of Neuroscience
[email protected]