Funder: National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH
Due Dates: September 25, 2025 (Standard) | January 7, 2026 (AIDS)
Funding Amounts: No budget limit; typical project period up to 5 years; NIA rarely funds P01s >$2 million in direct costs/year.
Summary: Supports integrated, multi-project research programs addressing scientific areas relevant to aging, requiring at least three interrelated projects with a central theme.
Key Information: Contact NIA at least 6 weeks in advance if requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year.
Description
This opportunity supports investigator-initiated program project (P01) applications focused on scientific areas relevant to the mission of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Each application must include at least three related research projects that share a central theme, along with an administrative core. The projects should be synergistic and designed to achieve results not attainable by independent research efforts.
Research areas of interest include genetic, biological, neuroscientific, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging, age-related diseases (including Alzheimer's and related dementias), and issues affecting older adults. Revision applications may expand or propose new research projects within the context of an existing P01.
Clinical trials are optional: the overall project cannot be a clinical trial, but clinical trials may be included as a component project.
Due Dates
- Standard Application Due Date: September 25, 2025
- AIDS Application Due Date: January 7, 2026
- Letters of intent are due 30 days before the application due date.
- All applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
- This FOA expires January 8, 2026.
Funding Amount
- Budget: Application budgets are not limited but must reflect actual needs.
- Maximum Project Period: 5 years.
- Typical Funding: NIA rarely funds P01s with direct costs exceeding $2 million per year (excluding F&A on subcontracts); exceptions require NIA-wide senior staff approval.
- Large Requests: Applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year must contact NIA at least 6 weeks before submission.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include:
- Public/state and private institutions of higher education
- 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 (federally recognized and other)
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, regional organizations, U.S. territories/possessions
- Eligible agencies of the federal government
Not eligible: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations. Foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, are allowed.
Application Process
- Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov using ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system solution.
- Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and (if applicable) NCAGE code.
- Letter of Intent: Strongly encouraged, due 30 days before the application due date. Should include project title, PD/PI(s), key personnel, institutions, and FOA number/title.
- Application Components: Must follow NIH Multi-Project (M) instructions (see NIH Multi-Project Application Guide). Required components:
- Overall (1)
- Administrative Core (1)
- At least 3 research projects (maximum 8)
- Up to 5 shared resource cores (optional)
- Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for all applications.
- Pre-Submission Consultation: If requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year, contact an NIA Scientific/Research Contact at least 6 weeks before submission and follow NIH policy for large budget applications.
Additional Information
- Clinical Trials: The FOA is "clinical trial optional." The overall P01 cannot be a clinical trial, but individual projects within the P01 may be clinical trials.
- Revisions: Revision applications may propose expansion of existing or new projects/cores within the context of a funded P01, but cannot extend beyond the parent award’s end date.
- Review: Applications are peer-reviewed for significance, innovation, approach, investigator(s), and environment, as well as synergy and integration across projects.
- Compliance: All NIH, HHS, and federal policies apply, including those on data sharing, inclusion, and civil rights.
External Links
Contact Information