NIA Future research directions
(Note: Alzheimer’s and related dementias are of particular interest – SS)
As you may know, the National Advisory Council on Aging met here in Bethesda on May 22–23. Among its many actions, Council reviewed and approved 12 new concepts for NIA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). Although these are still in the concept phase, it’s likely—but by no means certain—that they will appear as FOAs in the NIH Guide before the end of the year. Approved concepts in this round:
- A Census of Cells and Circuits in the Aging Brain
- Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium
- Building an Infrastructure to Synergize Research for Improved Care of Older Adults across Specialties and Disciplines
- Development and Maintenance of an Aged Rodent Tissue Bank (Contract Renewal)
- Exploring Molecular Links Between Dietary Interventions and Circadian Rhythm
- Integrative Research to Understand the Role of the Gut-Brain Axis and the Microbiome in Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease
- Involvement of Small Business Concerns in the Preclinical Development of Novel Therapeutics which Target Fundamental Mechanisms of Aging
- Low-Cost Detection of Cognitive Decline in Clinical Settings
- Marmosets as a Translational Model for Aging Research
- Microbiome and Aging: Impact on Health and Disease
- Network for Identification, Evaluation and Tracking of Older Persons with Superior Cognitive Performance for Their Chronological Age
- Small Business Innovation Research Early-Phase Clinical Trials of Novel Interventions to Prevent, Delay, or Treat Aging-Related Conditions by Targeting Aging-Related Mechanisms (Clinical Trial Required)
You can find brief summaries of the approved concepts on our website, along with contact information for the NIA program staff involved with each. The award mechanism or the funds allocated for a particular concept are not mentioned. Program staff cannot provide this information until the concept officially becomes an FOA. Award mechanisms and funding limits are determined when the FOAs are developed for publication in the NIH Guide.
If you’re currently working in one of the fields described in these concepts, we suggest that you start thinking about how you would respond to a Program Announcement or Request for Applications on your topic. Do you have the facilities and people available to investigate this topic? If not, can you get them if needed? Without committing a detailed plan to paper, you can brainstorm with your colleagues about how you would approach the topic.
Be sure to keep an eye on the NIH Guide to search for new FOAs, or take a look at this list of NIA funding opportunities. You can also sign up to receive a monthly list of all newly released NIA FOAs. Enter your e-mail address in the box at the bottom of the NIA home page. Click “Submit” and check “NIA Funding Opportunities.”
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