NIA and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease

Addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is a priority for the federal government. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) signed into law in January 2011 called for a coordinated National Plan to accelerate research and improve care and services for people living with Alzheimer's and related dementias, and their families. In October 2024, the NAPA Authorization Act (PDF, 187K) was signed into law to continue coordination of federal planning, programs, and other efforts to address Alzheimer’s and related dementias through 2035.

Efforts under the National Plan are guided by an Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, consisting of some of the nation’s foremost experts, convened by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NAPA Reauthorization Act expands the membership of the advisory council to include more people living with dementia, additional research expertise, and representatives from additional federal agencies.

The advisory council is responsible for the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease , created in 2012 and updated yearly since then. The plan lays out six ambitious goals to both prevent future cases of Alzheimer's and related dementias and to better meet the needs of the millions of American families currently facing these diseases:

  • Prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's and related dementias
  • Enhance care quality and efficiency
  • Expand supports for people with Alzheimer's and related dementias and their families
  • Enhance public awareness and engagement
  • Improve data to track progress
  • Accelerate action to promote healthy aging and reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s and related dementias

NIH leads efforts to support new and evolving research to meet the research goals of the National Plan.

Research Implementation Milestones

In support of these research goals, NIA, which oversees NIH research on Alzheimer’s, led the development of implementation research milestones in collaboration with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as well as with extensive input from a variety of sources and perspectives outside of NIH. The Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias Research Implementation Milestones database captures these research implementation plans and progress toward the goals.

NIA Support for Recruitment in Clinical Trials

To meet the ambitious goals of the National Plan, the Alzheimer’s research community needs the participation of hundreds of thousands of people from diverse communities in clinical research. The barriers to research participation in Alzheimer’s and related dementias can be particularly high. To support the research community in recruiting and retaining a broader and more diverse group of participants in research, NIA has developed a number of research recruitment resources for wide adaption and use by Alzheimer’s researchers. Learn more about participating in Alzheimer's and related dementias research .

NIH Research Summits

Central to informing the research implementation milestones are a series of research summits organized by NIH that bring together leading experts and innovators from academia, industry, and advocacy groups. Summits occur yearly, rotating their focus on Alzheimer’s disease; Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias; and care services and supports for people with dementia and caregivers. Following are links to previous summits:

Annual Professional Judgment Budget Proposals

Starting in 2015, congressional legislation has required that NIH prepare a professional judgment budget to estimate the additional funding needed each year to help reach the goals of the National Plan. The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (PDF, 187K) requires NIH to submit an estimate of its budget and personnel needs for carrying out these initiatives annually through FY 2035, for review and transmittal to Congress. Only two other areas of biomedical research — cancer and HIV/AIDS — have been the subject of such special NIH budget development aimed at speeding discovery.

NIH welcomes this annual opportunity to develop a budget for expanding research on Alzheimer’s and related dementias — based on a carefully considered roadmap that moves us toward ending the tremendous physical, emotional, and financial devastation wrought by these fatal disorders.

Learn more about the NIH Professional Judgment Budget for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research .

Annual Progress Reports

In addition, each year NIH issues an annual progress report featuring discoveries scientists have made toward addressing the enormous challenges of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Read the latest NIH Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Progress Report .