Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

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 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Notice of 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

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

Background

The Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging (D&E Centers) (P30) Program was initiated in 1994. The program has supported high-impact and innovative social science on aging, created shared resources that benefit the broader scientific community, facilitated the career enhancement of early-career and new investigators to aging research, and enabled investigators to act on emerging and urgent scientific opportunities quickly and effectively through Center research infrastructure. The program reflects the recognition that the collaboration between and among demography, economics, and related fields are integral to advancing population science.

Since its inception, the program has worked towards the objective of cultivating the fields of demography and economics of aging via a range of activities, including supporting pilot projects, establishing research networks, holding conferences and workshops on scientific areas of focus, developing and promoting research resources and infrastructure, and sharing results and resources with scientific and policy communities as well as the public. In the current cycle of the D&E Centers Programs which began in 2020, almost 200 pilot grants have been funded, 22 networks and 10 external research resources have been established, and other types of activities have occurred such as providing reports and resources to the research community, holding seminars, conferences, and workshops, and bringing new investigators to aging studies.​

As part of the current cycle, the program was expanded to include D&E Centers on AD/ADRD. These centers expand upon the overall program objectives by addressing areas of demography, economics, and health services research relevant to AD/ADRD. The current cycle of the program also added a separate R24 coordinating center. In all, the D&E Centers Programs includes 15 P30s (3 focused on AD/ADRD) and one coordinating center R24. Information on the 15 currently active D&E Centers is available here.

Research Objectives

This NOFO invites applications for a Coordinating Center for the Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging, including Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (D&E CC) whose purpose is to act as a hub, serving the needs of the Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging, including AD/ADRD (D&E Centers) as well as the needs of NIA program staff. The objectives of the D&E Centers Program are to:

1) Seed new and innovative lines of research in the demography and economics of aging and related interdisciplinary population-based social science areas.

2) Integrate approaches that address the disproportionate distribution of health within and/or across populations, including with respect to those defined as Health Disparity Priority Populations in the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework.

3) Incorporate strategies that will identify and engage scholars across disciplines, career stages, and institutions.

The CC will be a bridge among D&E Centers, institutions, individual scholars, NIA, and the research and policy communities. The CC will enhance the scientific impact of the D&E Centers Programs and foster synergies across D&E Centers, other NIA-funded P30 Centers Programs (e.g., Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translational Research on Aging, the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, the Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Centers, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers, Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence, etc.), and NIA-funded research infrastructure (e.g., longitudinal datasets, contextual data repositories, research networks, etc.), as well as promote inclusion and representation across a diverse group of scholars and institutions, including via shared mentorship and training activities. The CC will also build and execute approaches to raise the profile of the D&E Centers Programs and the demography and economics of aging, including AD/ADRD.

The D&E CC is intended to serve as a hub for the D&E Centers Program, enhancing the impact of the D&E Centers and assisting NIA staff in coordinating activity across the population sciences and disseminating resources and progress to the field at large. For information on the D&E Centers Program research objectives, required and optional cores, priority topic areas, and expectations for tracking and progress, see Section I of RFA-AG-25-007. To accomplish the objectives of the D&E Centers Program, the CC will work collaboratively with all D&E Centers to:

• Foster communication and collaborative activities within and across D&E Centers, including for the Emerging Scholars Pilot Projects and Mentorship Programs, and with other NIA-supported Centers and infrastructure (e.g., longitudinal datasets, contextual data repositories, research networks, etc.), including via webinars, seminars, pilot projects, etc..
• Disseminate Centers’ research advances, activities and resources to the research community, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders, also by maintaining an active multi-center website.
• Incorporate population-based social science perspectives into AD/ADRD research.
• Maintain a centralized database to track and synthesize progress and outcomes of D&E Center and CC activities for the purpose of semiannual reporting to individual Centers and to NIA program staff, and for future program tracking by NIA.
• Arrange an in-person/hybrid annual Center Directors Meeting and a separate annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging.
• Serve as the point of contact for the overall D&E Centers Program for NIA staff, other NIA-supported Centers, and the broader scientific community. 

Resources for Applicants

NIA shares reports outlining Institute priorities, including:

• National Advisory Council on Aging’s 2019 BSR Review Committee Report
• AD and ADRD Research Implementation Milestones
• NIA Health Disparities Framework
• NASEM’s Decadal Survey of Behavioral and Social Science Research on AD/ADRD
• Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity

NIA provides a variety of research resources to facilitate population-based behavioral and social research including:

• NIA-supported Behavioral and Social Research Centers
• NIA-supported Behavioral and Social Research Networks
• NIA Global Aging Behavioral & Social Research Overview

Responses to frequently asked questions about this NOFO will be posted here.

Tracking Criteria and Reporting

The continued success and sustainability of the D&E Centers Programs requires that the Centers complete their proposed Core activities. Throughout the project period, NIA expects that a Center will be able to demonstrate how its Core activities advance the three Center Program objectives described in Research Objectives above. 

Centers are responsible for tracking and monitoring progress and success through Core tracking criteria described in Section IV of RFA-AG-25-007 via semi-annual reporting to the D&E CC and the annual non-competing continuation (Type 5). The CC is responsible for developing a template for collecting and organizing the tracking criteria information provided by the Centers and reporting the information to NIA on a semiannual basis. Based on tracking criteria and other considerations, staff in the Office of Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation at NIA may evaluate the overall D&E Centers Program and may provide recommendations for continuation and/or modification of the D&E Centers Program.

Timeline of the Phased Award

This NOFO uses a phased award approach. Proposed projects must include an overall timeline of both phases of the award. The timeline should incorporate the milestones for Phase 1 (2 years) as outlined below as well as the major goals of the entire project.

Phase 1

Milestones: This funding opportunity includes milestones that must be met at the end of Year 2.

Funding of Phase 1 does not guarantee support of Phase 2. If milestones are not achieved, as determined by the NIA Program Official assessment of recipient progress, NIA can choose to terminate the award, provide a mid-project extension (without additional funds), or modify aspects or conditions of the Coordinating Center at NIA’s discretion. Milestones will be included in the Terms and Conditions of the grant, if awarded. As with any award, continuation, even during the period recommended for support, is conditional upon satisfactory progress.

By the end of Phase 1/Year 2, the Coordinating Center is expected to accomplish the following milestones:

• Successful establishment of a public-facing website. The website should minimally include an overview of the D&E Centers Programs.
• Successful implementation of at least one annual Center Directors Meeting at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA) or alternate site and at least one annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging and AD/ADRD.
• Successful development of a template for collecting and organizing the tracking criteria information provided by the Centers and shared with the NIA Program Official (as described in RFA-AG-25-007).
• Organize at least 1 cross-center training and career enhancement activity for Emerging Scholars Pilot Project awardees and Mentorship Programs.

Phase 2

Prior to the end of the first phase, awardees will submit a package that requests transition to the second phase of support. This package will include a progress report that describes progress towards each of the initial milestones and a clear description of how research during the Phase 2 will be impacted by attainment of those milestones. These materials will be reviewed by NIA program staff and then, if approved, the grant will transition to Phase 2 of support without the need to submit a new grant application. Decisions on transitioning to Phase 2 will be based on the successful completion of the originally described milestones, program priorities, and availability of funds.

Non-responsiveness Criteria

The following types of applications will be considered non-responsive and will be withdrawn prior to review:

• Applications that do not clearly articulate relevance of the Coordinating Center activities for aging research in demography, economics, and related interdisciplinary population-based social science areas.
• Applications that do not clearly articulate relevance of the Coordinating Center activities for AD/ADRD.

1. Applications that do not propose administration, collaboration, dissemination, and tracking and reporting activities.

Clinical Research Operations Management System 

NIA uses a central resource to NIA staff and extramural investigators to facilitate/support the conduct and management of clinical research. NIA Clinical Research Operations & Management System (CROMS) is a comprehensive data management system to support the business functions, management, and oversight responsibilities of NIA grants that support the conduct of clinical research with human subjects. NIA investigators of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements that are active as of July 1, 2021, including clinical trials funded as pilots, exploratory studies, or other projects through this Consortium, and support human subjects research as defined by the DHS HHS OHRP regulations at 45 CFR 46 will be required to interact with and use existing and future components of CROMS as required by NIA throughout the lifecycle of the grant, as described in NOT-AG-23-017. Data to be submitted to NIA CROMS includes those elements reported in the standard NIH requirement annual progress report (GPS 4.1.15.7). Details regarding the standard operating procedures for CROMS can be found on the NIA CROMS website. 

When applicable, all NIA grantees must ensure: 

1. The study’s Informed Consent Document (ICD) lists “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its authorized representatives” as one of the organizations that may look at or receive copies of information in participants’ study records. According to DHS HHS OHRP 45 CFR 46 §46.116, all ICDs must contain “A statement describing the extent, if any, to which confidentiality of records identifying the participant will be maintained.” If using the NIA informed consent template, please see Section 6: Statement of Confidentiality.  

2. An assigned NIH ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number) is reported in its respective CROMS study record within three months after assignment, and the reporting of final enrollment data to CROMS is consistent with final enrollment data reported in ClinicalTrials.gov. 

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

Section II. Award Information

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

Section III. Eligibility Information

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 Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not 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 How to Apply - 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. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information

• 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. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their 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 their organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women 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 How to Apply - Application Guide.

The PD/PI and the CC team are expected to have significant knowledge about priority areas in social science research on aging; experience in promoting collaboration across different research groups or institutions; and experience in program management and coordination.

2. Cost Sharing

This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

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 NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 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 NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

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 NOFO. 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 How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the How to Apply - 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:

Amelia Karraker, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: [email protected]

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the How to Apply – Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply – Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Timeline: (2 page limit)

All applications must include a project timeline labeled “Timeline” under Other Attachments.

The Timeline must contain separate sections for Phase 1 and 2 of the proposed project, outlining the major goals of the project plan, as well as a sub-section devoted to describing milestones to be achieved during Phase 1, to quality for the transition to Phase 2.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Describe the investigative team's experience and expertise in project management and coordination relevant to the role of D&E CC, including fostering cooperation across interdisciplinary population sciences and broad scientific and policy communities. 

R&R Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

The CC application budget should include funds for organizing and attending an in-person/hybrid annual Center Directors Meeting and separate annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging. The CC may budget for presenters’ travel costs to the annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging and may establish a travel fund program to support workshop participants’ attendance. The CC is not responsible for the travel of participants from individual Center sites to the annual Center Directors Meeting. Requested costs should reflect the proposed activities for this meeting.

Requested costs should reflect the proposed dissemination activities, including the website and plans to make it sustainable beyond the award period, as well as other forms of outreach.

Inflationary Increases for Future Years: Inflationary salary increases for future year commitments are not allowed for applications submitted to this NOFO. However, necessary increases for other costs (e.g., supplies, equipment, etc.) are allowable if the out-year increase for a specific cost is well justified in the Budget Justification. Additional information can be found in the NIH guidance on developing budgets.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Specific Aims:

The specific aims page must directly address the core functions of the D&E CC, including administration, collaboration, dissemination, and tracking and reporting activities.

Research Strategy:

The application must explain how the proposed activities will enable the CC to serve as a hub for the D&E Centers Programs. The application must explain how the CC will achieve the stated purpose of the NOFO and effectively engage and collaborate with the Centers, as well as with NIA as part of the Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award. CC activities must include, but are not limited to, the following:

Administration Activities – Applications must propose an organizational governance structure to support proposed collaboration, dissemination, and tracking and reporting activities. Applications must describe how the CC will carry out the following:

• Arranging and hosting Center PD/PI and Center Administrator conference calls, as needed;
• Responding to queries by the NIA Program Official on behalf of the D&E Centers Programs;
• Working closely with the NIA Program Official and, in coordination with all Center sites, responding to requests generated by key site personnel, NIA, NIH, the scientific community, and the public; 
• Linking other NIA- and NIH-supported research activities and Centers to the unique expertise of the D&E Centers; and
• Promoting opportunities for demographers, economists, and scholars in related fields on research in AD/ADRD.

Applications must also describe how the CC will implement an annual in-person/hybrid Center Directors Meeting at the Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting or alternative location, planned in coordination with relevant NIA program staff. The purpose of the meeting is to accomplish the following:

• Sharing updates and scientific advances;
• Discussing and planning cross-Center collaborative activities;
• Discussing and planning activities that are relevant to NIA/NIH research priorities; and
• Presenting results from Emerging Scholars Pilot Project awardees.

The meeting will be attended by representatives from key personnel (e.g., PD/PI) of D&E Centers Programs, pilot project awardees, and NIA program staff. The D&E CC will propose the agenda and chair the meeting, with guidance and agenda approval from NIA program staff. The CC will set aside a portion of its funds to support the annual Center Directors Meeting.

Collaboration Activities – Applications must describe how the D&E CC will facilitate collaborative research, training, and career enhancement activities across the Centers. Applications must describe how the D&E CC will carry out the following:

• Fostering communication and collaborative activities within and across both D&E Center Programs and with other NIA research Centers (e.g., Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translational Research on Aging, the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, the Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Centers, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers, Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence, etc.), the NIA Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN), and other resources (e.g., the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging). This may include facilitating the networking of Center researchers for the purpose of advancing innovative pilot projects or workshops; coordinating workshops or conferences; and sponsoring multi-Center activities such as pilot projects or workshops (including travel to workshops), etc., based upon available funds. 
• Supporting cross-center training and career enhancement activities for Emerging Scholars Pilot Project awardees and Mentorship Programs.
• Fostering communication and collaboration with the broader community of researchers and stakeholders in demographic, economic, and related fields of aging.
• (Optional) Supporting cross-center pilot projects on the demography and economics of aging including AD/ADRD.

Dissemination Activities – Applications must describe how the D&E CC will ensure wide dissemination of all products and resources developed by the Centers and D&E CC to the broader research community. Applications must describe how the D&E CC will carry out the following:

• Developing products that summarize research findings (e.g., briefs, blogs, or other means) to highlight and disseminate Center research advances, activities, and resources to the research community, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders and to demonstrate to a broad and diverse audience the overall Center program’s impact upon the health and well-being of older people.
• Enhancing awareness of specific resources at each of the Centers and disseminating information on how to access and use that widely distributed array of resources across Centers, Center Programs, other NIA-supported activities, and the research community.
• Developing and maintaining an active website to share the activities and products of the center program with the public. The website should include information about: the mission of the D&E CC, each of the Centers (with links to each Center site), research findings and products, and resources, opportunities, and events related to the Centers Programs and from the NIA. The website will serve as the source of information dissemination to scientific and lay audiences and will be accessible and readily identifiable.
• Organizing and holding a program of in-person, virtual, or hybrid seminars, workshops, and meetings to foster engagement among center affiliates and facilitate dissemination of research to the broader community. The sessions of the program should occur quarterly each year, showcasing research from center-supported investigators.
• Organizing and holding an annual two-day in-person/hybrid Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging and AD/ADRD that will feature experts in the field presenting on important research areas and emerging topics to spur future research. The workshop should be held at one of the centers or at an alternate site.

Tracking and Reporting Activities – Applications must describe how the D&E CC will develop a tracking template and maintain a centralized database through which Centers’ progress and outcomes (Tracking Criteria as described in Section IV of RFA-AG-25-007) can be tracked and synthesized for semiannual reporting by the D&E CC to Centers and to NIA program staff, and for future program tracking by NIA. In order to achieve this objective, it is expected that the D&E CC will develop a template and process for collecting, organizing, and sharing Centers’ Tracking Criteria data with NIA.

Timeline: (2 page limit)

All applications must include a project timeline labeled “Timeline” under Other Attachments. 

The Timeline must contain separate sections for Phase 1 and 2 of the proposed project, outlining the major goals of the project plan, as well as a sub-section devoted to describing milestones to be achieved during Phase 1, to quality for the transition to Phase 2.

Tracking criteria: Organize annual Center Directors Meeting at PAA or alternate site; organize annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging and AD/ADRD; creation and maintenance of Centers website; number and description of D&E CC-created shared resources, networking opportunities, and research synergies for Emerging Scholars Pilot Project awardees and Mentorship Programs; list of D&E CC-created meetings, workshops, webinars with names and number of attendees (including discipline, career stage, institutional affiliation) to assess population-representation in demography and economics; (optional) support of cross-center pilot projects.

Progress Report for Renewal Applications 

Renewal applications must include descriptions of progress resulting from activities supported in the previous funding period. Progress reports must be fit into the Approach section of the Research Strategy within the prescribed page limits. 

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Other Plan(s): 

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - 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 How to Apply - 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 How to Apply - 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 How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 2. 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. 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 Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

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 How to Apply – 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 Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply - 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 field of 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 NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply - 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 NIA, 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 [email protected] when the application has been submitted. Please include the NOFO number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application.

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200.113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.1.35.

Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at [email protected]. 

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Section V. Application Review Information

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.

For this particular announcement, note the following:

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

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.

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.

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.

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 policies and practices, 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 NOFO.

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 NOFO. 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.

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 Section 2.5.1. Just-in-Time Procedures. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Prior to making an award, NIH reviews an applicant’s federal award history in SAM.gov to ensure sound business practices. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov.  NIH will consider any comments by the applicant in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov to ascertain the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and performance record of managing Federal awards per 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.

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 Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

A Notice of Award (NoA) is the official authorizing document notifying the applicant that an award has been made and that funds may be requested from the designated HHS payment system or office. The NoA is signed by the Grants Management Officer and emailed to the recipient’s business official.

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.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Any pre-award costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the applicant's own risk.  For more information on the Notice of Award, please refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 5. The Notice of Award and NIH Grants & Funding website, see Award Process.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain “applicable clinical trials” on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all 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.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The following Federal wide and HHS-specific policy requirements apply to awards funded through NIH:

• The rules listed at 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
• All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award (NoA). The NoA includes the requirements of this NOFO. 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.
• If a recipient receives an award, the recipient must follow all applicable nondiscrimination laws. The recipient agrees to this when registering in SAM.gov. The recipient must also submit an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690). To learn more, see the Laws and Regulations Enforced by the HHS Office for Civil Rights website. 
  • HHS recognizes that NIH 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 NOFO.

All federal statutes and regulations relevant to federal financial assistance, including those highlighted in NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4 Public Policy Requirements, Objectives and Other Appropriation Mandates.

Recipients are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal regulations.  NIH may terminate awards under certain circumstances.  See 2 CFR Part 200.340 Termination and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 8.5.2 Remedies for Noncompliance or Enforcement Actions: Suspension, Termination, and Withholding of Support. 

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant administration regulations at 2 CFR Part 200, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the recipients is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the recipients for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the recipients and NIH as defined below. 

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

• Designing the details of the project funded by this NOFO and retaining primary responsibility for performance of the activities.
• Participating in the cooperative nature of the D&E CC and accepting assistance from the designated NIA Program Official in aspects of the scientific and technical management of the D&E CC.   
• Participating with NIH staff in determining the process of setting D&E CC priorities, deciding optimal administrative and governance approaches, and contributing to the adjustment of approaches as warranted.
• Developing the D&E CC's website and making it discoverable within the first year of the award.
• Establishing metrics and timelines for accomplishing the activities and achieving the objectives of the D&E CC.
• Planning and participating in outreach and dissemination activities, including developing, hosting, and maintaining a public website for the D&E CC; hosting, attending, and chairing the Center Directors Meeting and monthly meetings with the NIA Program Official to discuss the D&E Centers Programs’ progress; and other coordination, outreach, and dissemination activities.
• Collecting monthly updates of major time-sensitive upcoming activities from D&E Centers and D&E AD/ADRD Centers (e.g., webinars, network activities).
• Responding promptly and cooperatively to requests for information or input from NIA.
• Participating in ongoing conference calls with the Program Official and/or other NIA program staff, as scheduled and agreed upon.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

• NIA will assign a Program Official to assist the award recipient.
• The NIA Program Official will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice.
• The NIA Program Official will request monthly programmatic updates from the D&E CC that will include information such as, but not limited to, tracking on progress and outcomes of the Centers Programs, and CC upcoming and recently completed collaboration and dissemination activities.
• The NIA Program Official will engage the D&E CC to develop the agenda for the annual Center Directors Meeting. The agenda and list of presenters will be approved by the NIA Program Official.
• The NIA Program Official will approve all major stages of the project and all new major additions/changes to planned activities. Additionally, the NIA Program Official will approve the tracking template and monthly teleconference meeting agendas. Prior approval is required by the NIA Program Official for any replacements of key personnel or other changes in subawards.

Areas of joint responsibility include:

• Organizing and coordinating scientific and annual meetings for the D&E CC, as required.
• Planning the Annual Workshop on the Demography and Economics of Aging and AD/ADRD.
• Coordinating and facilitating the interactions between participants under this cooperative agreement and other NIA awardees.
• Meeting at least once per month by teleconference.

Dispute Resolution:

Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between recipients and NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual recipient. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the recipient's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and HHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.

3. Data Management and Sharing

Consistent with the 2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

4. 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 Section 8.4.1 Reporting. To learn more about post-award monitoring and reporting, see the NIH Grants & Funding website, see Post-Award Monitoring and Reporting.

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 Section 8.6 Closeout. NIH NOFOs 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 2 CFR Part 200.301.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

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: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (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: [email protected] (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: [email protected]

Amelia Karraker, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: [email protected]

Ramesh Vemuri, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-402-7700
Email: [email protected]

Ryan Blakeney
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-451-9802
Email: [email protected]

Section VIII. Other Information

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 2 CFR Part 200.