NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31) | PAR 21 218

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 218

The NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31) (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-21-218) is a National Institutes of Health training-focused grant designed to strengthen and diversify the pipeline of translational researchers working on Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). The central aim is workforce development: supporting promising predoctoral students from diverse backgrounds so they can build the practical translational skill sets that are increasingly essential for moving discoveries from basic research into real-world tools for prevention, detection, treatment, and care. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is using this fellowship mechanism to help trainees become prepared not just for individual projects, but for the broader, collaborative work style that dominates modern translational science.

A distinctive emphasis of this FOA is the intentional focus on data science and drug discovery, and on applying those approaches across the full spectrum of AD/ADRD research. In practice, that means the fellowship can support training and research experiences ranging from population and epidemiologic studies to work that informs new therapeutics and diagnostics, and it explicitly includes behavioral and social research as part of the AD/ADRD landscape. The fellowship is meant to help predoctoral researchers gain "translational" capabilities, such as working with complex datasets, developing or applying computational methods, and understanding elements of discovery and development pathways that can eventually lead to interventions. The long-term vision is to build a diverse translational workforce capable of contributing to, and in many cases leading, team-science and precision-medicine approaches to AD/ADRD, including treatment, prevention, early detection, disease management, and care.

The opportunity is classified as a discretionary grant under the health funding activity category (CFDA 93.866) and is offered by the National Institutes of Health. Eligibility is broad at the organizational level and includes many common public and private applicant types, such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments (including counties, cities/townships, special districts, and independent school districts), federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories that reflect a strong commitment to capacity-building in institutions and communities historically underrepresented in biomedical research, 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). It also notes eligibility for faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal agencies, and Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized.

The FOA includes important restrictions related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, the announcement specifies that "foreign components," as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which generally means that certain parts of the research or training experience may occur outside the U.S. under NIH rules when appropriately justified and structured, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

Key administrative details from the source information include the FOA title noted above, the NIH as the funding agency, and an original closing date listed as 2024-08-08. The award ceiling and the number of expected awards are not provided in the supplied source fields, which is common in some listings and typically means applicants should consult the full FOA text and NIH policy pages for current stipend levels, institutional allowance information, and budget structure specific to the F31 fellowship mechanism. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a targeted predoctoral fellowship program intended to expand who participates in AD/ADRD translational research and to ensure trainees emerge with modern, high-impact skills in data science and drug discovery that can accelerate progress toward better outcomes for people affected by dementia.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-05-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 21 218

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