Participating Organization(s)	National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Components of Participating Organizations	National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Funding Opportunity Title	Implications of the Economic Downturn for Health, Wealth, and Work at Older Ages (R01)
Activity Code	R01 Research Project Grant
Announcement Type	New
Related Notices	June 3, 2014 - Notice NOT-14-074 supersedes instructions in Section III.3 regarding applications that are essentially the same. May 30, 2013 (NOT-OD-13-074) - NIH to Require Use of Updated Electronic Application Forms for Due Dates on or after September 25, 2013. Forms-C applications are required for due dates on or after September 25, 2013.
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number	PA-12-009
Companion FOA	NoneNone
Number of Applications	See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)	93.866
FOA Purpose	This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites research on the implications of exogenous shocks, such as those produced by the recent economic downturn, for health, economic circumstances, and planning throughout the life-cycle.

Posted Date	November 8, 2011
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)	January 5, 2012
Letter of Intent Due Date	Not Applicable
Application Due Date(s)	Standard dates apply, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
AIDS Application Due Date(s)	Not Applicable
Scientific Merit Review	Standard dates apply
Advisory Council Review	Standard dates apply
Earliest Start Date(s)	Standard dates apply
Expiration Date	January 8, 2015
Due Dates for E.O. 12372	Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Purpose/Research Objectives

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites research on the implications of exogenous shocks, such as those produced by the recent economic downturn, for health, economic circumstances, and planning throughout the life-cycle. The recent financial crisis emphasizes that there is much to learn, and scientific research is needed to address many of the questions, concerns, and implications that have arisen.

Evidence suggests that exposure to social, health, or economic shocks can have both short and long-term effects on well-being. The variety of shocks for which this appears to be the case individual-specific (e.g., health, layoff, divorce, death) or more broadly-based (e.g., economic downturns, high unemployment rates, natural disasters, war) - suggests that adverse events can have profound effects on decision-making throughout the life-course, particularly with respect to retirement and health outcomes in later life. The recent economic downturn has drawn attention to possible long-term effects of a global economic shock (rapid and unanticipated loss of employment as well as housing and financial wealth) on individuals perceptions, planning, behavior, and outcomes with respect to their health, well-being, and retirement decisions. Interest in this subject is heightened in light of the budgetary challenges facing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The potential long-term effects of the economic downturn on health, family, savings and employment choices are as yet unknown.

Concerns over the implications of the global financial crisis are not confined to the United States. Many countries are struggling with increasing deficits, rising unemployment, declining housing prices, and greater strain on limited public sector resources. Increasing global connectivity and more integrated financial markets have resulted in shocks to one country reverberating around the globe. Yet the changing demographic composition of the global population means that effects and solutions are likely to differ across countries. The development over the last decade of several international databases that complement those in the US should facilitate research involving cross-national comparisons. The NIA-supported RAND Survey Meta Data Repository (https://mmicdata.rand.org/megametadata/) provides a digital library of survey questions, a search engine for finding comparable questions across surveys, and a set of identically defined variables for cross-country analysis supporting use of the HRS-family of international surveys.

Specific Areas of Research Interest

Research is encouraged that explores the ways in which individuals have been affected by the recent financial crisis or comparable elements of past economic downturns. Beyond individual effects, the financial crisis has resulted in changes in living arrangements and household composition that may have long-term implications. The following topics are examples of relevant research areas only. Applications are not limited to these areas. NIA encourages applicants to discuss their topics with program staff prior to submission.

• Savings: The move from defined benefit to defined contribution pension plans has shifted greater responsibility for saving for retirement onto the individual. With many facing near-term challenges (e.g., foreclosure), some have been forced to draw on or take loans from retirement savings accounts to meet immediate needs. Research on how savings patterns may have changed, particularly with respect to the intertemporal tradeoffs between overall savings and retirement savings, is encouraged.
• Consumption: In addition to potentially increasing savings, individuals have also reduced consumption in response to the financial crisis. There is already evidence that tighter budgets as a result of the economic downturn has affected consumption in a variety of channels, such as pill-splitting to make prescriptions last longer, less frequent meals outside the home, and the emergence of the staycation . Research on changing consumption patterns and the implications for later life well-being is encouraged.
• Wealth: The timing of the financial crisis coincided with the start of the baby boom cohort reaching age 62. Many in this cohort expanded their equity holdings during their working years and have since experienced severe erosion in wealth as a result of the significant decline in housing and equity prices or job disruption. Research on the changing patterns of asset allocation and portfolio composition and their effect on other decisions are encouraged. Since housing represents a significant portion of the wealth of older Americans, NIA also encourages research on the impact of the downturn on homeownership rates and trends in housing wealth consumption (e.g., reverse mortgages, Medicaid spend-down).
• Labor Force Participation: Disproportionately high unemployment rates among certain demographic groups relative to others may lead to greater disparities in the future. The financial crisis also has altered labor force participation with the impact varying across demographic groups. For those facing retirement in the near-term, they may be forced to reconsider retirement plans and re-evaluate whether they have the financial means to retire. For those just entering the labor force, their entire career path may have changed, and with it their earnings and wealth over the life-cycle. In addition, higher unemployment rates have meant that those experiencing job loss have had longer durations outside the labor force, while those nearing retirement age may have decided to exit the labor force and apply for early retirement benefits. NIA invites research on the changing patterns of retirement and labor force participation behavior, job loss and job search, and their effects.
• Health, Cognition, and Decision-making: Because the recent financial crisis was of a magnitude not seen since the Great Depression, little is known about the effects of events such as job loss, foreclosure, and financial hardship on the health and well-being of current populations, or on the ability of such experiences to influence decision-making. Research demonstrating the effects on health and cognition of other types of traumatic events may or may not be relevant in the financial context. Individual responses also may vary, for example, depending on pre-event risk tolerance and social networks. Research that considers the role of the financial crisis in shaping beliefs, influencing decisions, and affecting health and well-being, is encouraged.
• Caregiving Arrangements: Trends in women s participation in the formal market, dual-earner households, and working single parents have implications for other household decisions, particularly as caregiving needs for both children and elders increase. Coupled with the economic downturn, these forces may lead to changes in the use of internal versus external (i.e., third-party) caregiving arrangements as well as family well-being in the long-term as a result of these changes. Research on how aspects of the financial crisis (e.g., layoffs, foreclosures) have influenced the tradeoff between labor force participation and caregiving is encouraged.
• Intergenerational Transfers and Households: The recent financial crisis has fueled discussion about changing trends in multi-generational households. On the other hand, high divorce rates suggest both an increasing number of individuals living alone or with responsibilities for individuals outside the home. These trends, coupled with a significant economic shock, could lead to significant changes in intergenerational co-residence and financial transfers made even more complex by interactions with public programs. Research that considers the impact of the economic downturn on intergenerational living arrangements, resource allocation, and their interaction with public programs is encouraged.
• Risk, Insurance, and Risk Management: Research is encouraged that explores the way in which attitudes towards risk and insurance have been affected by the recent economic downturn. Financial market deleveraging and lower risk tolerance has coincided with similar trends at the individual and household level. Research is needed on the role of changing attitudes toward risk and its effects on insurance (such as unemployment insurance, disability insurance, annuities, long-term care insurance, and reverse mortgages) and the costs of uncertainty (e.g. precautionary savings, changing spending patterns, etc.).
• Public Finance Implications: Many state and local, and sovereign governments are in a precarious fiscal position. Although there has been a shift from defined benefit to defined contribution pension plan in the private sector, defined benefit plans still comprise a large proportion of state and local pension plans and are funded on a pay-as-you-go basis. A variety of responses to the funding crisis has emerged, such as raising retirement ages, increasing contribution requirements, or changing benefit plans for new employees while leaving those for current employees unchanged. Research is needed to assess the future implications of public sector underfunding and proposals to address it and the feasibility of, and sensitivity to, assumptions used in public finance forecasting models. In addition, research that models linkages across a variety of social programs and seeks to address the causal effect of changes to, or demand for, such programs as a result of the financial crisis (e.g., the interaction between disability applications, unemployment benefits, and social security eligibility) is encouraged.
• The Effects of Recent Policy Changes: New legislation in a number of areas necessitates research addressing the potential impact of enacted changes in the context of the economic downturn. Policy simulations that explore the life-cycle effects of recent legislation, consider whether there are disproportionate effects across varying demographic or industry groups, examine the importance and sensitivity of various assumptions, or seek to identify unintended behavioral consequences are encouraged.
• International Comparisons: Concerns over the implications of the global financial crisis are not confined to the United States. Many countries are struggling with increasing deficits, rising unemployment, declining housing prices, and greater strain on limited public sector resources. Attempts to address the crisis via cutbacks or changes to pension provisions have met significant opposition in a number of countries. The challenges associated with a single country’s financial disruption have reverberated around the globe due to increasing global connectivity and more integrated financial markets. Yet variation in both trends and public policy responses means that effects and solutions are likely to differ across countries. Research projects that approach the various research objectives of this FOA incorporating cross-national comparisons are encouraged.

Resources for Applicants

National Research Council Workshop Summary: "Assessing the Impact of Severe Economic Recession the Elderly" - In support of its mission to improve the health and well-being of older Americans through research, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) supported a workshop organized by the National Research Council on Challenges of Assessing the Impact of Severe Economic Recession on the Elderly. The expert panel was charged with reviewing the existing and ongoing research literature as well as outlining the potential areas of research. The workshop summary is a useful resource for applicants to this FOA (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56644/pdf/TOC.pdf).

NIA Supported Data Resources - NIA supports data resources for aging related secondary analysis in the behavioral and social sciences (http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/BehavioralAndSocialResearch/DataResources.htm).

Funding Instrument	Grant
Application Types Allowed	New Renewal Resubmission Revision The OER Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards	The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations, and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
Award Budget	Application budgets are not limited, but need to reflect actual needs of the proposed project.
Award Project Period	Scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum period is 5 years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following registrations.

• Central Contractor Registration (CCR) must maintain an active registration, to be renewed at least annually
• Grants.gov
• eRA Commons

All Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons account of the applicant organization.

All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least 4-6 weeks prior to the application due date.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PD(s)/PI(s), visit the Multiple Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. Resubmission applications may be submitted, according to the NIH Policy on Resubmission Applications from the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional.  Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this FOA. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Resource Sharing Plan

Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies; GWAS) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Appendix

Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Foreign (non-US) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.  Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.

Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD(s)/PI(s) Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.

Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year (excluding consortium F&A) must contact NIH program staff at least 6 weeks before submitting the application and follow the Policy on the Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications that Request $500,000 or More in Direct Costs as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD(s)/PI(s), do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?

Innovation

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Approach

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed? 

If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?

Environment

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact/priority score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Protections for Human Subjects

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children 

When the proposed project involves clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for inclusion of minorities and members of both genders, as well as the inclusion of children. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Human Subjects Protection and Inclusion Guidelines.

Vertebrate Animals

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Biohazards

Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.

Resubmissions

For Resubmissions, the committee will evaluate the application as now presented, taking into consideration the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group and changes made to the project.

Renewals

For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

Revisions

For Revisions, the committee will consider the appropriateness of the proposed expansion of the scope of the project. If the Revision application relates to a specific line of investigation presented in the original application that was not recommended for approval by the committee, then the committee will consider whether the responses to comments from the previous scientific review group are adequate and whether substantial changes are clearly evident.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Reviewers will assess whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that exist in other countries and either are not readily available in the United States or augment existing U.S. resources.

Select Agent Research

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Resource Sharing Plans

Reviewers will comment on whether the following Resource Sharing Plans, or the rationale for not sharing the following types of resources, are reasonable: 1) Data Sharing Plan; 2) Sharing Model Organisms; and 3) Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Review assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all 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/priority score.
• Will receive a written critique.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by an appropriate advisory council or board.. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. 

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.      

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website.

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General  and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

Not Applicable.

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading or navigating forms)
Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone 301-710-0267
TTY 301-451-5936
Email: [email protected]

eRA Commons Help Desk(Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
TTY: 301-451-5939
Email: [email protected]

John W. R. Phillips, PhD
National Institute on Aging
Telephone: 301-496-3138
Email: [email protected]

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

John Bladen
National Institute on Aging
Telephone: 301-402-7730
Email:[email protected]

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.