Innovative ideas and investigators wanted for Alzheimer's and related dementias research



Partha BHATTACHARYYA,

Program Director,

Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR). Program Director,Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR). Nina SILVERBERG,

Director, Alzheimer's Disease Centers Program,

Division of Neuroscience (DN). Director, Alzheimer's Disease Centers Program,Division of Neuroscience (DN).

NIA is the largest public funder of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) research in the U.S. Thanks to increases in appropriations for AD/ADRD research, the scientific field has evolved in unprecedented ways in a very short time, and the good news is we’re making progress. However, to continue and accelerate this momentum, there is need to recruit additional scientists who are committed to conducting the vast array of innovative and interdisciplinary AD/ADRD research projects—including clinical, translational, prevention and treatment studies—required to advance these fields.

One of the major barriers to growing the number of AD/ADRD researchers is the challenge for new investigators (and those new to the field) to develop critical preliminary data, the lack of which often keeps non-AD/ADRD investigators from obtaining an R01 grant to conduct research in this field. To help overcome this obstacle, we are excited to announce a novel set of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs).

Supporting the next generation of AD/ADRD researchers

NIA’s Small Research Grant Program for the Next Generation of Researchers in AD/ADRD Research began last year and this year includes three new R03 FOAs: PAS-19-391, PAS-19-392 and PAS-19-393. The program is designed to encourage a next generation of scientists to pursue research and academic careers in neuroscience, AD/ADRD and healthy brain aging. NIA seeks to turn fresh ideas from scientists in other fields into pilot studies for innovative AD/ADRD research programs that leverage and build upon their existing expertise. We also aim to support early stage investigators and other junior faculty. The overall mission is to build a more robust pipeline of committed AD/ADRD researchers.

Innovative ideas wanted

The main goal of this program is to support promising research in areas where more scientific investigation is needed to improve AD/ADRD prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. The FOAs support archiving and leveraging existing data sets for analyses of projects on AD/ADRD; basic science approaches to illuminate neurodegenerative mechanisms/pathways; and computational/biological systems approaches to identify, model and predict the architecture and dynamics of the molecular interactions underlying AD/ADRD pathogenesis.

Help us make progress toward treatments!

Together we will make the difference! Help NIA continue to advance research to thwart, treat and cure these devastating and fatal disorders. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and join the next generation of AD/ADRD researchers. Be sure to apply by the February 16, 2020, deadline. We look forward to receiving your applications and welcome your questions or comments below.