Team Science Approaches Integrating Experimental and Computational Brain Aging Models (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 24 018

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity RFA-AG-24-018?

RFA-AG-24-018 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Team Science Approaches Integrating Experimental and Computational Brain Aging Models (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." It supports interdisciplinary projects that integrate experimental (wet-lab, in vivo, and/or in vitro) and computational/modeling approaches to address focused questions in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD).

What is the main goal of this opportunity?

The central goal is to build new collaborations, or meaningfully expand existing ones, where experimental teams and computational/modeling teams work in a tightly integrated way rather than operating as parallel groups with only loose connections. The program emphasizes coordinated, milestone-driven team science that improves interpretation, prediction, and generalization of findings across systems.

What types of scientific questions is this opportunity meant to address?

Projects are expected to address key mechanistic or translational questions in brain aging and AD/ADRD by combining experimental data generation with computational analysis, modeling, and/or simulation. The intent is to produce insights or capabilities that are stronger than what either approach could generate alone.

What does "integrated experimental and computational" mean in this context?

It means the experimental and computational parts of the project should be designed to inform each other in a coordinated workflow. The computational work should not be an add-on performed after experiments are completed, and the experimental work should not be conducted without clear linkage to the modeling/analysis strategy. The opportunity is specifically aimed at integrated team structures rather than loosely connected components.

What award mechanism is used for this opportunity?

This opportunity uses a phased R21/R33 mechanism. It is designed to support projects that start with early-stage, developmental team integration and feasibility work and then, if successful, transition into a larger and more mature research effort.

How long is the R21 phase and what is it intended to support?

The R21 phase provides up to two years of support aimed at developmental work. Typical activities include launching or strengthening the collaboration, aligning experimental and computational workflows, developing shared data standards, establishing preliminary datasets, piloting integrated methods, and demonstrating feasibility around the targeted research question.

How does a project move from the R21 phase to the R33 phase?

Transition to the R33 phase is intended to occur if the collaboration and milestones are successful. The listing emphasizes milestone-driven progress that demonstrates the team can execute an integrated experimental-computational approach.

How long is the R33 phase and what is it intended to support?

The R33 phase provides up to three additional years to scale up the work. It is intended for expanded activities such as deeper experimentation, more advanced computational modeling, broader validation, and producing results that demonstrate the value of the integrated experimental-computational framework.

What is the emphasis on sustainability?

A key emphasis is that the collaboration should be built in a way that persists beyond the award period and supports continued interdisciplinary research capacity across participating laboratories. In other words, the team structure and integrated workflows should be designed to last and remain useful after the project ends.

Are clinical trials allowed under this opportunity?

No. The funding opportunity explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." Supported work should not be structured as a clinical trial as defined by NIH policy.

What is the CFDA number and what does it indicate?

The listing identifies this as a health-related discretionary grant under CFDA 93.866. This indicates the program category associated with the opportunity in the federal assistance listing context.

What is the funding instrument and activity category?

The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is health.

What is the award ceiling?

The listing states an award ceiling of $275,000.

What is the closing date shown in the listing?

The administrative details include an original closing date of 2023-09-22.

Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicant organizations. Eligible applicants include U.S. government entities (state, county, city/township, and special districts), independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and public or state-controlled institutions of higher education. Eligibility also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses.

Are organizations such as HBCUs, HSIs, and Tribal Colleges included in eligibility?

Yes. NIH highlights eligibility for mission-aligned and capacity-building institutions and organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).

Can faith-based or community-based organizations apply?

Yes. The listing explicitly includes faith-based or community-based organizations among the eligible applicants.

Can regional organizations apply?

Yes. Regional organizations are specifically included in the eligibility list provided in the opportunity description.

Can U.S. territories or possessions apply?

Yes. The eligibility list includes U.S. territories or possessions.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes non-U.S. (foreign) organizations.

Can tribal governments that are not federally recognized apply?

Yes. The listing includes tribal governments that are not federally recognized.

What kinds of team structures does NIH want to see?

The opportunity emphasizes true team science: experimental and computational teams should be closely linked and coordinated, with shared goals, aligned workflows, and integrated methods. The intent is to avoid proposals where the experimental work and computational work are conducted mostly independently with minimal interaction.

What are examples of activities that fit the early (R21) phase expectations?

Based on the opportunity description, the R21 phase typically supports activities such as establishing or strengthening a collaboration, aligning experimental and computational workflows, developing shared data standards, creating preliminary datasets, piloting integrated experimental-computational methods, and demonstrating feasibility for the focused research question.

What are examples of activities that fit the later (R33) phase expectations?

Based on the opportunity description, the R33 phase is intended for scaling up and maturing the work through deeper experimentation, more advanced computational modeling, broader validation, and producing results that demonstrate the value of the integrated experimental-computational framework.

What is the overall purpose of this program in the brain aging and AD/ADRD research landscape?

The opportunity is aimed at accelerating progress in brain aging and AD/ADRD by pushing teams to do genuinely integrated work that joins experimental model systems and computational approaches into a coordinated, milestone-driven project that can evolve from proof-of-concept development into a larger, more impactful research program.