Apply by May 24: Funding to train the next generation of Alzheimer’s researchers
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow,
Office of Strategic Extramural Programs (OSEP).
NIA is committed to training, expanding, and diversifying a skilled interdisciplinary Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research workforce. Toward this end, we are pleased to announce two new funding opportunities to develop training programs for students, teachers, and early-career researchers. Both have a May 24 application deadline, so start working on your proposal ASAP!
Support to enhance education and research opportunities
These two new funding opportunities are designed to address the need for early exposure to high-quality, hands-on research and educational experiences in the field:
- The NIA Expanding Research in AD/ADRD (ERA) Summer Research Education Program (R25) will support summer programs focused on educating high school students, undergraduate students, or K-12 science teachers. Summer programs of between 8-14 weeks will implement research experiences to enhance participants’ understanding of the science, career options, and/or educational practices in the Alzheimer’s and related dementias field.
- The NIA Expanding Research in AD/ADRD (ERA) Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (R25) will support programs that provide recent baccalaureate graduates with immersive, project-based research experiences in Alzheimer’s and related dementias. These programs, one to two years in duration, should focus on preparing recent graduates to pursue advanced degrees and other research-related science career opportunities in the dementia field.
Critical role of diversity and inclusion
Alzheimer’s and related dementias disproportionately impact women and minority populations in the United States. Unfortunately, these same populations are also underrepresented in the aging research workforce across all career stages. To be truly robust and effective, future solutions to help people living with dementia must include these voices. As such, both funding opportunities require that applications include a recruitment plan to enhance diversity that describes the proposed program’s efforts, strategies and past experiences promoting the participation of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Apply by May 24!
Be sure to apply via the links above by May 24 to potentially help build a foundation of future scientists! If you have questions about your application, email us at NIATraining@mail.nih.gov and include a draft of your one-page specific aims document, which will enable us to tailor our feedback and guidance.
Check out the recording of a recent informational webinar for additional guidance on applying for these new R25 funding opportunities. Best of luck with your application and we look forward to supporting this vital work!
Comments
Dear Drs. Carranza and Hooks:
Thank you for the information about a new opportunity / funding mechanism in support of training the next generation of AD/ADRD researchers. As one who has in the past used the R25 mechanism for training programs I am a strong proponent of this funding mechanism and opportunity for NIA to advance the field. That said, announcing the funding opportunity on May 3 with a May 24 deadline suggests that NIA isn't fully supportive. Given the timing (end of semester, etc), many investigators who would otherwise enthusiastically respond are likely to be unable to do so, at least with a polished application that would be competitive during peer review. Even if there were no competing demands, three weeks is simply not enough time to conceive, develop and produce a competitive application, particularly with the large amount of training-related data required.
I look forward to future funding opportunities with timelines that are more aligned with the everyday lives of investigators.
Sincerely,
Mark Opp
University of Colorado Boulder
Thank you for your comment and we are sorry to hear that the timing of the blog post makes it difficult for you to apply for the R25 by May 24.
While the funding opportunities were published on March 13 of this year, we understand your frustration, and will incorporate your feedback into our planning for future blog posts.
In the meantime, we wanted to share a few suggestions on other ways beyond the blog to help researchers stay up-to-date with NIA funding opportunities. Please visit https://www.nia.nih.gov/about/stay-connected for additional ways to keep in touch, which include:
- Subscribe to NIA’s Funding Opportunities and Training and Career Development Newsletters
- Follow NIA on social media, especially LinkedIn and Twitter
Thank you again for your feedback, and we look forward to your application on the second available due date of May 24, 2024.
Maria, Joshua, and the NIA Blog Team
Hi,
I'm a K01 recipient from NIA and interested in applying for the R25. We enroll high school students in underserved communities to an ADRD educational program at our ADRC, funded by philanthropy. I take a big part in mentoring/lecturing/participating. This grant would be excellent way to fund the program
Thank you for your interest in the NIA ERA R25 program. For additional questions, feel free to reach out to NIATraining@mail.nih.gov.
Can I apply for phD in this program(R25) ?
No, the NIA ERA R25 programs are exclusively geared toward high school students and teachers, undergraduates, and postbaccalaureates, respectively.
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