High-Priority Behavioral and Social Research Networks (R24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AG 22 013

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 013

The High-Priority Behavioral and Social Research Networks (R24 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity (RFA-AG-22-013) is a National Institutes of Health grant program designed to build and strengthen behavioral and social science research networks focused on aging across the life course. The core purpose is not just to fund standalone studies, but to create research and research infrastructure that helps the field tackle big, shared problems in population aging research. In line with recommendations from the 2019 BSR NACA Review, the FOA emphasizes efforts that can expand the scientific workforce in aging research, make it easier to do high-quality, comparable research across studies, and support the kinds of large-scale data resources that allow researchers to answer long-term questions about aging, health, and well-being.

A central theme of the program is life course research on aging, meaning research that considers how experiences and exposures earlier in life shape outcomes in midlife and older age. The FOA also explicitly aims to attract new researchers into aging, which typically points to network activities such as training, mentorship pipelines, shared methods resources, pilot opportunities, and collaborative structures that lower the barrier to entry for investigators who are new to aging research. Another major priority is to infuse a strong focus on health disparities into aging research, encouraging applicants to build networks and infrastructure that can better study and ultimately reduce inequities by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography, disability status, and other factors that influence how people age and what resources they can access.

The announcement highlights ongoing needs around harmonization and biomarker collection in large population panel studies. Harmonization generally refers to aligning measures, constructs, and protocols across different studies so results can be compared or combined, which is especially important when multiple longitudinal panel datasets exist but use different instruments, coding, or collection schedules. Biomarker collection signals an interest in strengthening the integration of biological measures with behavioral and social data, so that population studies can connect social conditions and lived experience with physiological processes and health outcomes. In practice, projects under this FOA would be expected to support shared standards, common data elements, coordinated protocols, and related infrastructure that makes large-scale aging research more interoperable and scientifically powerful.

This is an R24 mechanism, which is commonly used for resource-related and infrastructure-building projects rather than traditional hypothesis-driven R01-style research alone. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose a clinical trial if it fits their aims, but they are not required to do so. The funding instrument is a grant, the activity category is health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.866. The award ceiling shown in the source information is $250,000, and the original closing date listed is 2021-06-23, with a creation date of 2021-03-18.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments that are federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain well-justified foreign activities or collaborations within the rules NIH sets for foreign components, even though the applicant institution itself must be domestic.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH support for building the connective tissue of aging research: networks, shared tools, harmonized measurement approaches, and biomarker-related infrastructure that make large population aging studies more comparable, more inclusive, and more capable of addressing health disparities and life course questions at scale.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "High-Priority Behavioral and Social Research Networks (R24 Clinical Trial Optional)" 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 2021-03-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• 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 RFA AG 22 013

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