Atom | Research on Current Topics in Alzheimer's Disease and Its Related Dementias (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over 2 years; no more than $200,000 in any single year; maximum project period is 2 years.

Summary: Supports exploratory research to develop and disseminate new tests, animal models, or techniques for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Key Information: Clinical trials are optional; foreign organizations are eligible; Data Management and Sharing Plan required.

Description

This opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), led by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), invites applications for innovative, exploratory, or developmental research projects (R21 mechanism) focused on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its related dementias (ADRD). The goal is to support the development of new tests, animal models, techniques, or other tools that require additional preliminary data and broader dissemination to establish them for general use in the AD/ADRD research field. Priority research topics will be announced through Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs) published after this main announcement.

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

New or improved animal or cellular models
Novel diagnostic or research tools
Innovative techniques or approaches for studying AD/ADRD
Methods to address health disparities in AD/ADRD research

Clinical trials are optional under this opportunity.

Due Dates

Next due date for new applications: June 16, 2025
Next due date for renewal/resubmission/revision: July 16, 2025
Subsequent cycles: October 16, 2025 (New) | November 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | February 16, 2026 (New) | March 16, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | and so on, through November 16, 2027.
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.

See the full list of standard due dates in the NIH Application Guide.

Funding Amount

Direct costs: Up to $275,000 total for the 2-year project period.
Annual limit: No more than $200,000 in direct costs in any single year.
Project period: Maximum of 2 years.
Number of awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications.

Budget requests must be well-justified and appropriate for the scope of the proposed research.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

Public and private institutions of higher education (domestic and foreign)
Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
State, county, city, township, and special district governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal governments and organizations (federally recognized and other)
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Regional organizations
U.S. territories and possessions
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and foreign components of U.S. organizations

Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are encouraged to apply. Multiple applications from the same organization are allowed if scientifically distinct.

Application Process

Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
Required registrations: All applicant organizations must have active registrations in SAM, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. PD/PIs must have an eRA Commons account.
Application instructions: Follow the NIH How to Apply - Application Guide and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for all applications, regardless of budget.
Clinical trials: Optional; applicants may propose projects with or without clinical trials.
Appendices: Only limited materials allowed (see Application Guide).

Review criteria include significance, innovation, approach, investigator(s), and environment, as well as protections for human subjects and vertebrate animals, if applicable.

Additional Information

Priority topics: Will be announced via Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs) after this main announcement. Applicants are encouraged to monitor the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts for updates.
Clinical Research Operations Management System (CROMS): NIA-funded clinical research projects may be required to use CROMS for data management and reporting.
OutreachPro: Free online tool for developing culturally appropriate recruitment materials for AD/ADRD clinical studies.
Cost sharing: Not required.
Foreign organizations: Eligible and encouraged to apply; must follow NIH policies for foreign applicants.

External Links

Contact Information

Topic	Contact Name / Office	Email / Phone
General Grants Info	NIH Grants Information	GrantsInfo@nih.gov / 301-480-7075
Application Submission Help	eRA Service Desk	eRA Need Help / 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552
Grants.gov Support	Grants.gov Customer Support	support@grants.gov / 800-518-4726
Scientific/Research Contact	Dr. Jean Yuan (NIA)	jean.yuan@nih.gov / 301-827-0009
Financial/Grants Management	Philip Smith (NIA)	philip.smith2@nih.gov / 301-402-3465

For additional contacts, see Section VII of the full announcement.