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Seed Pilots for Aging Research Collaboration: RCCN Pilot Grants to Promote Inter-NIA Center Collaborative Research

    The Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN) goal is to catalyze enduring, collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects across NIA center programs by funding pilot, planning or meeting grants of up to $65,000. Proposals should address topics spanning the missions of multiple NIA Center programs. Relevant topics are exemplified by the themes of RCCN-sponsored workshops, but other topics relevant to the NIA center programs will also be considered. Each project should involve at least two NIA-sponsored research centers. There are two deadlines annually and up to two awards will be granted each cycle.


    Purpose

    This mechanism provides funding to catalyze enduring collaborations for at least two collaborative pilot, planning or meeting grants supporting interdisciplinary research in cross cutting theme areas per grant cycle. Each award will provide up to $65,000 in direct costs. The proposals must include investigators affiliated with at least two different NIA Centers Programs (AITCs, Shock, Roybal, Older American Independence Centers (Pepper), Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, Centers for Demography and Economics of Aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers). Investigators not affiliated with these NIA programs may also be included. Applications may seek support to collect or analyze data, convene experts to explore aspects of the theme area in detail, or develop multi- or interdisciplinary conceptual models to motivate further cross-center work. There must be clear evidence that all investigators will contribute meaningfully to the intellectual design and conduct of the research.


    Applicants may propose to use the award over the course of one or two years as justified by the proposed activity. The RCCN will support 20% in indirect costs on each award.


    Eligibility

    • Principal investigators must be faculty who are affiliated with any of the 7 NIA Center programs as confirmed by letters from the directors of the relevant Center programs.

      • In general, NIA Center affiliation means either: 1. Having (partial) salary support through an NIA Center Program; or 2. Having previously received pilot funding, accessed Center data, used center cores, or received mentoring. Other forms of affiliation will also be considered

    • Investigators who are not (yet) faculty can be Co-Investigators on the grant.

    • Proposals must include investigators affiliated with at least 2 different NIA Center programs.

    • Proposals can be submitted by two or more Center Program investigators at the same institution or Center Program investigators at different institutions.

    • Small clinical trials are eligible.


    If you need help identifying another NIA Center investigator, you may contact RCCN at contact@rccn-aging.org to help find a potential co-PI for your project. You can also access the Research Compass which is searchable data base of publications from NIA Center programs.


    Application Guidelines

    The following criteria are used to determine the merit of an application:

    • Relevance of the proposed aims to cross-cutting topics relevant to the missions of multiple NIA Center programs;

    • The significance and innovation of the proposed research or planning project and likelihood that it will develop into new on-going research collaborations;

    • The feasibility of the proposed activities;

    • Productivity of the investigators;

    • Involvement of early career investigators;

    • Participation of applicants who identify as a member of an underrepresented group.


    Application Procedures

    The program has two LOI deadlines per year: April 1 and October 1 at 5:00 pm ET. If a deadline falls on a weekend, the deadline will be extended to the following Monday. No exceptions for holidays.


    Timeline:

    • LOI Deadline: October 1

    • Invitation for full applications: November 1

    • Full application deadline: December 1

    • Decision: January 1

    • Start date: February 1



    Incomplete LOIs cannot be considered. A subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application. More information on the full application is available here.


    The review will be conducted by the RCCN Steering Committee and independent reviewers selected by the American Federation for Aging Research. RCCN will not provide reviewer critiques to any applicants at any review level.


    Questions regarding this RFA can be sent to: Elizabeth Pritchett-Montavon elizabeth@afar.org. Click here for the Frequently Asked Questions page.


    LOIs should be submitted as a single PDF document, using 12-point font and single-spaced. The application must include the following and in this order:

    • Page 1: Cover page

    • Page 2-3: Brief project description that includes the hypotheses/rationale, specific aims, a sketch of the work to be done including methods, timeline, expected outcomes and next steps. The letter should also describe how the project relates to missions of multiple NIA Center programs and the relationships of the partnering investigators with NIA supported Centers. Any figures and essential references must be included in these two pages.

    • NIH-style bios-sketches for the key investigators

    Award and Reporting Requirements

    Funding will be awarded via a subcontract from Wake Forest School of Medicine. Joint pilot projects should be led by investigators from 2 or more Centers programs. One of the investigators should be identified as the primary (i.e., contact) investigator. NIA approval of projects involving human subjects or animal research require administrative and regulatory approvals according to NIH/NIA policy before funds can be awarded. All questions regarding the award should be directed to the contact listed on the notice of award.


    Awardees are required to submit annual progress report with a final narrative and financial reports.


    Background

    This award program is sponsored by the NIA’s Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN). The RCCN’s goal is to bring together researchers from the 7 NIA Centers programs to foster the development of cross-center collaborations around issues important to the health and well-being of older adults.

    The RCCN sponsors a series of workshops addressing specific problems of high salience to multiple NIA Center programs. These workshops feature the sharing of paradigms, conceptual models, and key insights from perspectives of the participating centers programs. Workshops include:


    After the workshops, publications are developed summarizing the proceedings and priority areas; past publications are available here.


    About the RCCN

    Managed by Wake Forest School of Medicine and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), the RCCN promotes multi-disciplinary efforts in aging research across the centers through: conferences, pilot programs, early career faculty education, web-based resource identification tools, and fundraising/proposal development. To find out more go to: rccn-aging.org


    The RCCN is funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U24AG058556. The content of this RFA is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.




    NIH Common Fund Replication Prize!


      The NIH Common Fund has teamed up with NASA’s Tournament Lab to launch the Replication Prize, a competition to advance scientific research by collecting ideas and strategies to make important lines of biomedical research more replicable.

       

      The Replication Prize will crowdsource ideas to identify high impact areas of science for future replication efforts and to reward efforts in increasing replicability in important areas of biomedical research. The goal of this prize competition is to boost current replication efforts and encourage a culture change in biomedical research where replication activities are a routine part of conducting research.

       

      Submissions will address at least one of two tracks:

      • Track One (Replication Ideas): Submissions will identify high impact areas of research that are in need of replication studies.

      • Track Two (Replication Exemplars) Submissions will highlight the strategies used to integrate replication into ongoing research activities. The winning strategies will be compiled as a publicly available reference. 

       

      By improving rigor and transparency in science, researchers will be able to understand the limits of original results and expand upon existing scientific theories. This sets the stage for advancing scientific discovery and technologies that can be applied to improving the health and well-being of the population. 

       

      The total cash prize purse for this competition is $850,000 to be shared among winners.

       

      Submit your ideas by Dec 19, 2025 at 8:00PM EST

      Do you have questions? Reach out by email to: NIHsupport@floor23digital.com



      Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant


        The Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant supports an innovative project that represents a change in research direction for an early stage investigator (ESI) and for which no preliminary data exist. Applications submitted to this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) must not include preliminary data. Applications must include a separate attachment describing the change in research direction. The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions.

        This notice of funding opportunity does not accept applications proposing clinical trials.


        Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

        The purpose of the Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant is to provide a new pathway for Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) who wish to propose research projects in a new direction for which preliminary data do not exist.  Named in honor of the late National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Director, Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is open to a broad range of scientific research relevant to the mission of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs). Proposed projects must represent a change in research direction for the ESI and should be innovative and unique. A distinct feature for this NOFO is that applications must not include preliminary data.  PD/PIs who wish to propose research projects consistent with their past work or training and/or supported by preliminary data, should apply to the Parent R01 or other NOFOs allowing for preliminary data. More information and FAQs are available on the Katz award program website.


        Created in 2020, the Katz award provides a unique opportunity for early-stage investigators to take their research in a completely new direction, thereby stimulating innovation and encouraging new approaches to solving problems. This NOFO is appropriate for ESIs who wish to initiate a research project in an area different from their previous research focus and/or training experience, and therefore have not produced preliminary data. Proposed research projects can rely on the PD/PI’s prior work and expertise as its foundation, but must not be an incremental advancement, expansion, or extension of a previous research effort. The change in research direction could involve, for example, a new approach, methodology, technique, discipline, therapeutic target, and/or new paradigm, different from the ESI’s previous research efforts. Importantly, the proposed direction must represent a change in research direction for the PD/PI. Because a change in research direction is heavily dependent upon the area of investigation, candidates are strongly encouraged to contact a program director to discuss their proposed project. If the application proposes multiple Principal Investigators (MPIs), all PD/PIs must be ESIs and the proposed project must be a change in research direction for all MPIs. Please note that the application must describe how the proposed new research direction is different from the ESI’s past work in a separate attachment entitled “New Research Directions” (see Section IV, SF424(R&R) Other Project Information).


        For this funding opportunity, applications including preliminary data will be considered noncompliant with the NOFO instructions and will be withdrawn. Preliminary data are defined as data not yet published. Existence of preliminary data is an indication that the proposed project has advanced beyond the scope defined by this program and makes the application unsuitable for this funding opportunity. Publication in the proposed new research direction is an indication that the proposed work may not be in a new research direction for the ESI. The logical basis and premise for the proposed work should be supported by published data or data from preprints that may have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). These data must be labeled and cited adjacent to each occurrence within the application and must be presented unmodified from the original published format. Figures and tables containing data must include citation(s) within the legend. The data should be unambiguously identified as published through citation that, if available, includes the DOI (see Section IV.2).  Candidates are reminded that NIH instructions do not allow URLs or hyperlinks to websites or documents that contain data in any part of the application (see NOT-OD-20-174).


        Determinations of merit and feasibility will consider the conceptual framework, level of innovation, and potential to significantly advance our knowledge and understanding. Candidates are encouraged to justify the conceptual and technical feasibility for the proposed work through previous experience, literature citations, compelling logic, and published data and publicly available databases. Examples of sources which can be used to demonstrate feasibility (non-inclusive) include PubMed; Bookshelf; Medline Plus; Open-I; TOXNET; ClinicalTrials.gov; BLAST; Nucleotide; Genome; SNP; Gene; Protein; and PubChem. Since applications to this NOFO could involve higher risk, candidates are encouraged to clearly explain the significance of the proposed work, to allow the reviewers to determine whether the potential impact offsets a higher risk. Candidates should clearly explain why the new knowledge to be gained is beyond incremental.



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