National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
July 19, 2023 - This RFA has been reissued as RFA-AG-24-050
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites R61/R33 applications to address health equity, drug costs, and access to new therapeutics or repurposed drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (ADRD). Successful applications will seek to identify preferences for pharmacological treatment among racial and ethnic minority people living with AD/ADRD, assess whether cost barriers to pharmacological care exist for racial and ethnic minority people living with AD/ADRD, and quantify expenditures and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people interested in receiving novel or repurposed drugs for AD/ADRD.
This FOA supports a study development phase (R61) to conduct rigorous stakeholder engagement with racial and ethnic minority groups to identify, measure, and assess the demand for new and repurposed drugs. If successful, grantees will transition to an R33 phase for implementation of rigorous modeling of costs and health-related quality of life and dissemination of model findings.
June 1, 2022
| Application Due Dates | Review and Award Cycles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) | AIDS | Scientific Merit Review | Advisory Council Review | Earliest Start Date |
| July 01, 2022 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | October 2022 | January 2023 | April 2023 |
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
No late applications will be accepted for this Funding Opportunity Announcement.
Not Applicable
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from 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.
Background
The population with Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) continues to grow and is projected to reach 16 million Americans by the year 2050. Significant concerns exist over the cost of caring for people living with AD/ADRD. A moderate body of evidence has been compiled on AD/ADRD care costs, with the results suggesting an escalation of costs as people living with AD/ADRD progressively lose their ability to function independently and require assistance with activities of daily living.
The disease burden of AD/ADRD is marked by pronounced health inequities. Non-Hispanic Blacks/African-Americans and Hispanics bear a disproportionate number of cases, are underrepresented in clinical trials, and experience higher rates of medication discontinuation compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. Equally important, existing methodologies of evaluating new drug treatment costs may disadvantage racial and ethnic minorities in computing the costs and benefits of novel pharmacological treatments.
While racial and ethnic differences have been documented in the costs of AD/ADRD disease management and the impact of unpaid caregiving, less attention has been granted to the issue of quantifying the cost of treating AD/ADRD with new or repurposed medications and the health equity implications of access to such therapeutics. The lack of attention to estimating the cost of new pharmacological treatments for African-Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Veterans, rural Americans, and sexual and gender minority Americans living with AD/ADRD is understandable, given the limited number of successful new drugs that have emerged in the past 20 years. Notwithstanding, the health equity implications of access to new pharmacological treatments is a vital consideration in plotting future projections of AD/ADRD treatment burden. Failure to address the costs and benefits of new pharmacological agents could lead to unnecessary delays in drug delivery, should an important therapeutic breakthrough occur. It is not clear how diverse populations will gain access to new therapeutics that require significant out-of-pocket payments, given documented disparities in lifetime asset creation across racial and ethnic minorities. Creative research designs are needed to address scientific questions regarding the cost of new and repurposed therapeutics for AD/ADRD. Specifically, in order to understand access and costs of drugs for racial and ethnic minority persons living with AD/ADRD, stakeholder engagement with affected persons and their caregivers is needed. Stakeholder engagement efforts can ascertain whether people want new/repurposed therapeutics; whether their health care providers discuss new/repurposed therapeutics with them; and their household's ability and preferences regarding paying an out-of-pocket share of costs for novel treatments.
Research Objectives
The goals of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) are to identify whether cost-associated barriers to receiving novel/repurposed therapeutics exist for racial and ethnic minority people who live with AD/ADRD, and to evaluate the cost effectiveness and health equity implications of new therapeutics in these populations. Studies proposed under this FOA must clearly identify sub-population(s) to be engaged and methods for recruitment. Additionally, studies must include and provide scientific rationale for selecting specific sub-populations. Applications will conduct research to understand how, why, and for whom novel drugs are recommended and prescribed, who receives novel drugs, how long drugs are taken, how much novel/repurposed drugs cost patients and caregivers in out-of-pocket payments, and the real-world health-related quality of life and well-being impacts of receiving novel/repurposed drugs. This R61/R33 FOA will support new research projects that conduct rigorous stakeholder engagement efforts and develop model parameters using both stakeholder input and quantitative data.
NIA expects applicants to support activities that will foster diversity of the scientific workforce. Applications should articulate plans to reach and engage with diverse scientific partners (see: https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/building-participation/leveraging-stakeholders-to-promote-diversity).
R61 Phase (Planning Phase)
During the R61 planning phase, researchers will conduct rigorous stakeholder engagement with racial and ethnic minority groups to identify, measure, and assess the demand for new and repurposed drugs. Researchers will develop stakeholder engagement plans; recruit and engage the target sub-populations; prepare to access data sources that will allow for quantitative parameters to be defined; and present a plan for modeling cost, access, patient preferences, and health outcomes. Specific tasks to be accomplished:
- Establishing a theoretical framework for conducting the study. Researchers should assess the health equity (e.g., changes in health-related quality-of-life and well-being) ramifications of who does and does not receive new drugs in modeling costs and benefits.
- Frame the study. Applications must clearly define the scope of research, including the sub-populations to be engaged and the scientific rationale for selecting those sub-populations. Applications should also describe how the findings from the R61 phase will inform development of the R33 phase.
- Design the study. Applications may choose to employ techniques from qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods research (e.g., literature reviews, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys) for the R61 phase. Applications must clearly articulate rigorous plans for recruitment of stakeholders, data collection, and analysis. In the R61 phase, applications must also establish access to data sources that will allow for quantitative parameters to be defined and present a plan for modeling cost, access, patient preferences, and health outcomes.
- Identify and value outcomes and elucidate health preferences through stakeholder engagement. Researchers should explore such questions as whether people want new/repurposed therapeutics; whether their health care providers discuss new/repurposed therapeutics with them; and their household's ability and preferences regarding paying an out-of-pocket share of costs for novel treatments. Stakeholder engagement activities should be cognizant of the fact that clinical efficacy of new therapeutics is often unknown in minoritized persons with AD/ADRD because clinical trials are not representative.
R33 Phase (Implementation Phase)
In the second (R33) phase of the award, researchers will operationalize their models, analyze model outputs, and disseminate their findings to the field. Specific tasks to be accomplished:
- Data acquisition. The researchers should acquire the data needed for model input.
- Estimate costs and benefits of treatments through simulation modeling. Acceptable techniques range from Monte Carlo simulation to discrete event modeling.
- Analyze parameter uncertainty. Input-model parameters may be estimated from stakeholder information, expert opinion, or large datasets for the input processes driving the model. The estimation of unknown input-model parameters gives rise to output variability called parameter uncertainty. Investigators should analyze the uncertainty.
- Model parameter uncertainty. The investigators should examine how the model reacts when parameters are altered.
- Report results. Applications must present a plan for disseminating the findings, including how the model reacts when parameters are altered. In the implementation phase the investigators shall make non-restricted data and code used to develop the models accessible to the scientific community through a public repository.
Milestones and R61/R33 Transition
Applications must propose milestones by quarter for the R61 planning phase and annual milestones for the R33 implementation phase. The milestones shall indicate products of the project that will indicate progress and the quarterly milestones shall be used by the applicants to track progress and demonstrate successful completion of the R61 activities. At the completion of the R61 planning phase, the applicant will be required to submit a detailed transition request for the R33 implementation phase. Specifically, the transition from the R61 to the R33 phase of the award will be administratively reviewed for successful completion of the milestones proposed by the PI for the R61 phase.
Prospective applicants should note that funding of a grant application for the R61 phase does not guarantee support of the R33 phase. Transition to the R33 phase of the project will occur only if an administrative review process recommends that the R61 planning activities have been successful, the implementation phase of the project can proceed with confidence of success, and funds are available.
Applications Not Responsive to this FOA
Applications will be considered nonresponsive to this FOA and will not be reviewed if they meet any of the following criteria:
- The application does not clearly articulate the proposed project’s relevance to AD/ADRD.
- The application does not include a primary focus on racial and ethnic minorities access to novel and/or repurposed AD/ADRD drugs.
- The application does not engage stakeholders of with people living with AD/ADRD, at risk for dementia, caregivers, and/or members of communities underrepresented in AD/ADRD research in the R61 phase.
- The application includes non-human research studies.
Data Dissemination Guidelines
Any application producing data must include a data sharing plan that addresses NIA Guidance on Sharing Data and other Resources. NIA defines data as final data on which a publication is based, usually presented in summary form in a publication. These may include image libraries, video, and audio recordings, or other derivatives of data that are relevant to the research being reported. In general, sufficient materials should be made available to allow replication and/or productive secondary analysis of the data. It is expected that raw data or minimally processed data would be shared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Responses to frequently asked questions about this RFA will be posted here: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dbsr/behavioral-and-social-research-funding-opportunities-and-applicant-resources.
Resources for Applicants
See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.
Grant: A support mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.
The OER Glossary and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this FOA.
Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials.
Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?
NIA intends to commit $2 million in FY 2023 to fund 6 awards.
For the R61 planning phase, the budget for direct costs may not exceed $200,000. For the R33 implementation phase, the budget for direct costs may not exceed $400,000 in any single year.
Application budgets need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
The maximum period of the combined R61/R33 phases is 5 years, with 1-2 years for the R61 phase and 3-4 years for the R33 phase. Funding of the R33 award will be determined by successful completion of the R61 scientific goals, as determined by NIH.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.
1. Eligible Applicants
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
- Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
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)
Local 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)
Federal Governments
- 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 not 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
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
- System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
- NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. SAM registrations prior to fall 2021 were updated to include a UEI. For applications due on or after January 25, 2022, the UEI must be provided on the application forms (e.g., FORMS-G); the same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
- Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Organization registrations prior to April 2022 require applicants to obtain a DUNS prior to registering in SAM. By April 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number as an entity identifier and will transition to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued by SAM. Prior to April 2022, after obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
- eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier (DUNS prior to April 2022; UEI after April 2022) is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
- Grants.gov Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
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. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
2. Cost Sharing
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.
The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:
- A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
- A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
- An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).
1. Requesting an Application Package
The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) 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.Letter of Intent
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Priscilla Novak, Ph.D., MPH
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: NovelTreatmentsRFA@nih.gov
Page Limitations
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.
Instructions for Application Submission
The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.
SF424(R&R) Cover
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Other Project Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
The Program Director(s) and Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) should have demonstrated appropriate experience with stakeholder engagement and in modeling costs of health and medical care.
R&R Budget
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
R&R Subaward Budget
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
PHS 398 Research Plan
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Specific Aims: Describe specific aims for each of the two phases (R61 and R33) on the single Specific Aims attachment.
The application must include specific aims that will increase understanding of whether there are racial and ethnic differences in access to new and repurposed pharmacological agents for AD/ADRD.
Research Strategy: The Research Strategy must contain separate sections that describe the R61 and R33 phases, as well as a sub-section that is devoted to describing milestones to be achieved during the R61 phase, to qualify for the transition to the R33 phase, and for the R33 phase. It is not necessary to repeat information or details in the R33 section that are described in the R61 section.
Applicant(s) must include the following information in the Research Strategy:
- A description of proposed methods that align with standard approaches to modeling costs and HRQoL
- A description of specific innovative modeling approaches and code sharing approach
- A description on how the project will account for structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism
- Sub-populations to be engaged and methods for recruitment
- A plan to share modelling approaches and/or public data via a repository
- A description of the dissemintation approach
The application must describe how activities (listed below) in each phase will be accomplished:
R61 (planning phase) activities
- Establishing a theoretical framework for conducting the study
- Framing the study
- Designing the study
- Identifying and valuing outcomes and elucidating preferences through stakeholder engagement
R33 (implementation phase) activities
- Data acquisition
- Estimating costs and benefits
- Analyzing parameter uncertainty
- Modeling parameter uncertainty
- Reporting results
Preliminary data are not required for an R61/R33 application. However, any preliminary data that will support or justify the proposed hypothesis, rationale, or development plan may be included.
The application should provide a description of how the study designs, methods, and assessments are complementary, such that outcomes from the planning phase will enhance the interpretation of outcomes at the implementation stage.
Milestones and R61/R33 Transition
The application must include milestones the researchers expect to achieve by the end of the R61 phase, as well as milestones for the R33 phase. Milestones should be specific, quantifiable, and scientifically justified; they should not be simply a restatement of the specific aims for the R61 phase. The application must include a section labeled "milestones" describing milestones to be achieved during the R61 phase to qualify for the transition to the R33.
Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
The following modifications also apply:
- All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should address a Data Sharing Plan
Appendix:
Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
- No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.
PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:
If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.
Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Delayed Onset Study
Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
PHS Assignment Request Form
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov
4. Submission Dates and Times
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.
Organizations must submit applications to 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. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date 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.
5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
6. Funding Restrictions
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.
7. Other Submission Requirements and Information
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (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 How to Apply Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.
Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential fieldof the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.
The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier (DUNS number or UEI as required) provided on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. 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 and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the NIA Referral Office by email at Ramesh.Vemuri@nih.gov when the application has been submitted. Please include the FOA number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application.
Post Submission Materials
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.
1. Criteria
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact 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.
Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? Is the prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project rigorous? 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?
Specific for this FOA:
Will achieving the aims of the application increase understanding of whether there are racial and ethnic differences in access to new and repurposed pharmacological agents for AD/ADRD?
Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or those 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/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?
Specific for this FOA:
Do(es) the investigator(s) have appropriate experience with stakeholder engagement?
Do(es) the investigator(s) have appropriate expertise in modeling costs of health and medical care?
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?
Specific for this FOA:
Does the application specify an innovative approach to modeling that would make the model easily replicable/updatable as new data become available?
Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Have the investigators included plans to address weaknesses in the rigor of prior research that serves as the key support for the proposed project? Have the investigators presented strategies to ensure a robust and unbiased approach, as appropriate for the work proposed? 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? Have the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex, for studies in vertebrate animals or human subjects?
If the project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults), justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?
Specific for this FOA:
How adequate are the applicant's plans for using methods How well does the proposed approach account for structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism? How well does the application identify sub-population(s) to be engaged and methods for recruitment? How well does the application describe the methods that will be used to accomplish the required R61 planning phase activities (establishing a theoretical framework, framing the study, designing the study, identifying and valuing outcomes and elucidating preferences through stakeholder engagement) and R33 implementation phase activities (data acquisition, estimating costs and benefits, analyzing parameter uncertainty, modeling parameter uncertainty, reporting results)?
How adequate are the applicant's plans? How adequate are the applicant’s plans to create non-restricted data and code used to develop the models accessible to the scientific community through a public repository during the implementation phase?
Does the application provide a detailed and complete milestones schedule for both phases of the project? Are the quarterly milestones for the R61 planning phase and annual milestones for the R33 implementation phase likely to lead to adequate progress and eventual success? Do the milestones demonstrate the methods that will be used to carry out the activities required in both phases?
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 score, but will not give separate scores for these items.
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the 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 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 Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.
The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
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.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
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 score.
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.
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).
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) Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS).
For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, reviewers will comment on the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NIA, 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.
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Council on Aging. 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.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
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. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
1. Award Notices
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 recipient's business official.
Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. 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 terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.
Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
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, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:
- Federalwide Research Terms and Conditions
- Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
- Acknowledgment of Federal Funding
If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.
Should the applicant organization successfully compete for an award, recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex (including gender identify, sexual orientation, and pregnancy). This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency and persons with disabilities. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html
HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA.
- Recipients of FFA must ensure that their programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. For guidance on meeting the legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to programs or activities by limited English proficient individuals see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/fact-sheet-guidance/index.html and https://www.lep.gov.
- For information on an institution’s specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities, including reasonable accommodations and making services accessible to them, see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html.
- HHS funded health and education programs must be administered in an environment free of sexual harassment, see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/sex-discrimination/index.html. For information about NIH's commitment to supporting a safe and respectful work environment, who to contact with questions or concerns, and what NIH's expectations are for institutions and the individuals supported on NIH-funded awards, please see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/harassment.htm.
- For guidance on administering programs in compliance with applicable federal conscience protection and associated anti-discrimination laws see https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/conscience-protections/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/religious-freedom/index.html.
Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 and 2 CFR Part 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
Not Applicable
3. Reporting
When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
A final RPPR, 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. NIH FOAs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR Part 200.301.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients 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 the threshold. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-480-7075
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov
Priscilla Novak, Ph.D., MPH
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-401-3136
Email: NovelTreatmentsRFA@nih.gov
Ramesh Vemuri, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-402-7700
Email: ramesh.vemuri@nih.gov
Ryan Blakeney
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: (301) 451-9802
Email: ryan.blakeney@nih.gov
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 Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200.
and Human Services (HHS)
