Key Dates

Related Announcements

• November 14, 2023 - Competing Revisions to Existing NIH Single Project Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PA-23-317.
• June 22, 2023 - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement Program to Help Develop Alzheimer s-Focused NIH Grants. See Notice NOT-AG-23-032.
• July 7, 2022 - Notice of Special Interest: Alzheimer’s-Focused Administrative Supplements for NIH Grants that are Not Focused on Alzheimer’s Disease. See Notice NOT-AG-22-025.
• June 25, 2021 - Notice of Special Interest: Alzheimer s-Focused Administrative Supplements for NIH Grants that are Not Focused on Alzheimer’s Disease. NOT-AG-21-018.
• September 9, 2020 - Notice of Special Interest: Alzheimer s-focused administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer’s disease. See Notice NOT-AG-20-034.
• December 4, 2019 - Notice of Special Interest: Alzheimer s-focused administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer’s disease. See Notice NOT-AG-20-008.
• November 26, 2018 - Alzheimer's-focused administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer's disease. See Notice NOT-AG-18-039.
• April 12, 2018 - Alzheimer's Disease and its related Dementias (AD/ADRD)-focused Administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer's disease. See Notice NOT-AG-18-008.

Issued by

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Fogarty International Center (FIC)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) solicits competitive revision applications that focus on expanding research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its related dementias (ADRD).

Background

Since 2017, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has sponsored a successful Administrative Supplement program to stimulate the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its related dementias (ADRD) (e.g., frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID), and multiple etiology dementias). The program has been especially effective in bringing researchers from multiple scientific fields into the AD/ADRD research realm. Previous Notices regarding the program can be found above, under the Related Announcements heading. As of fiscal year (FY) 2025, instead of using Administrative Supplements, the program uses Competing Revisions.

Research Objectives

This NOSI invites Competitive Revision applications to existing single research project grants that are not focused on AD/ADRD. Revisions may not extend beyond the term of the current award period. Active awards with project end dates in FY 2026 or later are eligible. The award may not be in a terminal no-cost extension or going into a no-cost extension in FY 2025.

Research grants may also qualify if the current research is on a topic related to AD/ADRD (e.g., cognitive decline in aging, caregiving, the biology of neurodegeneration, genetics, imaging, computational methods, pain perception, biostatistical tools that have application to research on AD/ADRD). NIA's website provides details on how AD/ADRD is defined and some examples of currently supported research. Awardees are expected to seek competing support to continue promising leads from the research supported through the Competitive Revisions. Additional information on areas of interest and Notices of Funding Opportunity Announcements can be found on NIA's Funding Opportunities | National Institute on Aging webpage.

Awards that currently focus on AD/ADRD research are not eligible for this program. If an investigator is uncertain whether their project has an AD/ADRD focus, as defined by NIH, then the investigator should contact the Program Officer of the grant to be revised and inquire.  

Institute-, Center-, and Office-Specific Information

National Eye Institute (NEI)

NEI supports basic and clinical research into diseases and disorders of the visual system and the special needs of people with impaired vision or who are blind. NEI supports research in many areas that pertain to AD/ADRD. These include but are not limited to: molecular signaling in the cornea, lens, and retina, degeneration of the optic nerve and brain tissue, diagnostic markers of dementia, and the decline of visual cognition in cases of dementia. NEI encourages competing revisions for both human and animal projects. Investigators are strongly encouraged to contact their NEI Program Official when developing plans for a revision application to discuss whether the proposed project is relevant to the NEI’s research priorities.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

NHGRI supports studies that provide generalizable methods and knowledge in all three scientific areas of genome sciences, genomic medicine and genomics and society. Work proposed must fall within the scope of the aims of the NHGRI grant to be revised.

Investigators are encouraged to contact their NHGRI Scientific Program Officer for the grant to be revised before preparing an application, to discuss the relevance of the proposed research to the parent grant and to the Institute's research priorities.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

NIAAA is interested in understanding alcohol’s impacts on the onset and progression of AD/ADRD. The research areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Determine the effects of alcohol on pathology and cognitive decline associated with onset and progression of dementias across a spectrum of alcohol drinking patterns.
• Examine the fundamental mechanism underlying alcohol effects on the vulnerability to the cognitive impairments associated with dementias.
• Determine how alcohol’s effects on the multi-organ systems contribute to the pathology and cognitive changes associated with dementias.
• Investigate how possible interactions of alcohol-related peripheral immune disruption may contribute to dementias.
• Investigate sex differences in alcohol’s impact on the vulnerability to develop dementias and the disease progression.
• Examine how alcohol’s effects on neuroinflammation, neuroimmune interactions, and the neurovascular system contribute to the pathology and cognitive impairments associated with dementias.
• Determine how alcohol exposure across the lifespan, including prenatal or adolescent alcohol exposure, impacts susceptibility to and development of dementias.

Investigators are encouraged to contact their NIAAA Scientific Program Officer for the grant to be revised before preparing an application to discuss the relevance of the proposed research to the parent grant and to the Institute's research priorities.

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

NIBIB interests include the development and integration of advanced bioengineering, sensing, imaging, and computational technologies for the improvement of human health and medical care. An application is not within the NIBIB mission if its principal focus is the development of a technology with the goal of understanding basic biological function or pathological mechanisms. Additionally, NIBIB only supports projects developing platform technologies that are applicable to a broad spectrum of disorders and diseases. However, applicants may propose research that utilizes only a single tissue, organ, or physiological condition as a model system to facilitate the development of what is expected to be a more broadly applicable enabling technology. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the appropriate Program Director in their scientific program area of interest (https://www.nibib.nih.gov/research-funding)to determine if their research fits within the NIBIB mission.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NICHD is particularly interested in studies that explore the linkages between early life events and later development of AD/ADRD. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The linkages between pregnancy complications such as hypertension and preeclampsia and later development of dementia.
• The connection between pediatric CNS infections and post-infectious complications and/or effects of in utero exposure to infection/inflammation and later development of dementia.
• The role of head trauma and brain injury in the later development of dementia and the possible benefit of rehabilitation interventions for cognition and gait/balance in AD/ADRD.
• The significantly increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome.
• Population-representative data that examines how cognitive changes in later life are affected by exposures and experiences during early life, and by social determinants—directly and through interaction with biological variables.
• The use of statistical modeling to address issues related to the development and treatment of cognitive decline leading to AD/ADRD.

Investigators are encouraged to contact their NICHD Scientific Program Officer before preparing an application to discuss the relevance of the proposed research to the parent grant and to the Institute's research priorities

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

The NIDA is interested the impact of addictive substances on the development and progression of dementia and AD/ADRD.  The research areas include but are not limited to:

• Determine the effects of addictive substances on pathology and cognitive decline associated with onset and progression of dementias.
• Examine the fundamental mechanisms underlying cognitive decline as it relates to addictive substances.
• Determine how alcohol’s effects on the multi-organ systems contribute to the pathology and cognitive changes associated with dementias.
• Investigate sex differences in how addictive substances convey vulnerability to onset and progression of dementias.
• Determine how exposure to addictive substances prenatally and across the lifespan, and particularly during adolescence, impacts onset and progression of dementias.
• Understand how exposure to addictive drugs interacts with social determinants of health to affect onset and progression of dementias

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

NIDCD invites responsive applications that align with the Institute's scientific programs of: normal and disordered hearing and balance; normal and disordered taste and smell; communication disorders of voice, speech, and language. For more information, please see here.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

The mission of NIEHS is to discover how the environment affects people to promote healthier lives. NIEHS priority areas include supporting research projects that address or seek to understand how exposures to toxic environmental insults alter biologic processes and are linked to disease initiation, progression, or morbidity.  In addition, NIEHS is interested in research that leads to the development of prevention and intervention strategies to reduce potential environmentally induced risk of AD/ADRD outcomes. Examples of environmental exposures relevant to the mission of the NIEHS include, but are not limited to, industrial chemicals or manufacturing byproducts, e-waste, metals, pesticides, herbicides, and inhaled toxicants including indoor air pollutants from cooking and other sources, climate variability and the environmental impacts of natural and man-made disasters.

Investigators are strongly encouraged to consult with their NIEHS Program Official for the grant to be revised when developing plans for an application. This early contact will provide an opportunity to discuss whether the proposed project is within scope of the parent grant and relevant to the Institute’s research priorities.

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NINR supports research to solve pressing health challenges and inform practice and policy — optimizing health and advancing health equity into the future. NINR discovers solutions to health challenges through the lenses of health equity, social determinants of health, population and community health, prevention and health promotion, and systems and models of care. Drawing on the strengths of nursing’s holistic, contextualized perspective, core values, and broad reach, NINR funds multilevel and cross-sectoral research that examines the factors that impact health across the many settings in which nurses work, including homes, schools, workplaces, clinics, justice settings, and the community. Observational, intervention, and implementation research are of interest.

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

NIMHD is interested in supporting multi-level, multi-domain research (see the NIMHD Research Framework) that examines AD/ADRD risk, incidence, morbidity, and mortality in U.S. populations that experience health disparities. NIH-designated health disparity populations include Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities. Studies may include, but are not limited to, multidisciplinary translational, biobehavioral, epidemiological, or health services research projects. Additionally, projects can involve primary and/or secondary data collection and analyses.

Priority areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• How multiple health determinants (social, environmental, biological/genetic/epigenetic, psychosocial, economic, and health care) contribute to AD/ADRD risk, incidence, age of onset, morbidity and mortality in health disparity populations.
• How geographic and neighborhood-level factors contribute to AD/ADRD risk, resilience, and health outcomes in health disparity populations.
• The role of access to and quality of care related to AD/ADRD risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment in AD/ADRD-related health disparities.
• Trajectories of AD/ADRD risk and resilience across the life course in the context of the NIMHD research framework.

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Aging is a significant risk factor for most adult-onset cancers and AD/ADRD. Examples of research areas in NCI’s award portfolio that might qualify for this revision program include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Biologic and genetic mechanisms of cancer and aging;
• Preclinical drug/drug combination development in an aging context;
• Cancer- and cancer treatment-related neurocognitive function;
• Treatment tolerability, toxicity, and symptom management;
• Behavioral and social risk factors and outcomes;
• Attention, sensation, and perception;
• Geriatric assessment;
• Epidemiologic cohort studies of cancer risk or survivorship;
• Premature/accelerated/accentuated aging in those with a history of cancer;
• Financial toxicity;
• Cancer caregiving;
• Clinical trial development for, and accrual of, older adults;
• Transitions in care and models of health care delivery;
• Multimorbidity/multiple chronic conditions;
• Computational methods, biostatistical tools, and measurement development; and
• Imaging and image-guided cancer intervention.

While not a research area per se, the inclusion of underserved and understudied populations in research studies is encouraged.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

NIAID is interested in supporting studies to determine the role of the immune system and/or infectious pathogens in the development and progression of AD/ADRD. While NIAID’s interest include the use of animal models and/or humans subject research, NIAID will not support clinical trials through this competitive revision NOSI.

Examples of research that may be appropriate to this NOSI include:

• Studies on the composition, phenotype (naïve, memory, activated), antigen specificity and function of T and B cells in the CNS or periphery associated with AD development or progression
• Characterization of T cells and microglia infiltrating protein aggregates in the aging and AD brain
• Impact of age-related changes in systemic and tissue-specific immunity on the development or progression of AD/ADRD
• Characterization of B cells and antibodies residing in AD/ADRD brain, or systemically, and their roles in AD onset and progression
• Studies on the role of innate immune cells/molecules in AD onset and progression (e.g., mast cells, microglia, complement etc)
• Studies on impact of the microbiome in dysregulation of neuroimmune function.
• Studies on how immunity at mucosal sites impact neuroimmune function.
• Characterization of the crosstalk between innate and adaptive immune cells/mechanisms in the etiology and progression of AD/ADRD.
• Characterization of antigen presenting cells (APCs) and identification of MHC class I and II peptides from APC, such as microglia and others in the aging and AD/ADRD brain
• Characterization of immune mechanisms associated with pathogenic infections/emerging pathogens and the development or progression of AD.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Accumulating evidence is showing that environmental factors, including chemical exposures, may increase risk and progression of AD. NIEHS has been a long-time participant in the supplement program (which now has changed to competitive revision mechanism) to allow for NIEHS-supported projects not currently focused on AD to expand in this research direction. This program is fully funded by the AD bypass budget through NIA, so no NIEHS funds are needed to support meritorious projects.

Fogarty International Center (FIC)

The mission of the Fogarty International Center is to support and advance research that addresses priority health challenges in low-and-middle income countries through the development and strengthening of research capacity and partnerships to meet evolving global health needs (see FIC’s Strategic Plan web page for more information). Our programs support investigator-initiated global health projects that address locally relevant health concerns across the lifespan. For the competitive revision, FIC invites applications that advance our knowledge of AD/ADRD in the global context while reflecting our mission. Investigators are encouraged to contact their FIC Scientific Program Officer for the grant to be revised before preparing an application to discuss the relevance of the proposed research to the parent grant and to the Center’s priorities.

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after March 6, 2025 and subsequent receipt dates through March 7, 2025. 

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA-23-317- Competing Revisions to Existing NIH Single Project Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-23-317 must be followed, with the following additions:

• Application Due Date(s) – March 7, 2025, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-AG-24-073” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
• Provide a 1-page introduction describing how the revision relates to current work and how it will advance the AD/ADRD research field.
• Requests may be for one year of support only.
• Individual requests can be no more than $250,000 in direct costs exclusive of Facilities and Administrative costs on sub-contracts but cannot exceed the direct costs of the parent award and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
• The proposed budget period must be within the project period of the parent award.
• Requests must also adhere to the funding caps associated with the respective parent Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 
• The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
• Applicants may apply for more than one competitive revision to a given parent grant/award, provided they are scientifically distinct.

Eligible Activity Codes

Applications must be submitted as Revision applications to the parent awards by using  PA-23-317 “Competing Revisions to Existing NIH Single Project Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Clinical Trial Optional)” , or any reissues of   PA-23-317  through the expiration date of this notice. The following activity codes are ELIGIBLE: R01, R15, R24, R33, R35, R37, R61, RF1, U01 and U24. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the program officer of the parent award to confirm eligibility.

Review Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by each Institute or Center’s Review Branch (or equivalent), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

NIA will make funds available to each of the participating Institute or Center, provided that sufficient funds are available.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to the contacts in Section VII of the listed notice of funding opportunity with the following additions/substitutions:

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

René Etcheberrigaray
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-451-9798
Email: [email protected]

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Ryan Blakeney
National Institute on Aging/GCMB}
Telephone: 301-4519802
Email: [email protected]