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The frequently asked questions below are related to the NOFO:
These FAQs will be updated periodically as additional questions arise from applicant inquiries.
General Information
Below are general information FAQs.
Q. Do applicants need to have previous experience with human and/or nonhuman primate (NHP) studies?
A. Yes. This K18 award is intended for experienced scientists with expertise in human and/or NHP studies, who either wish to broaden their scientific capabilities or to make changes in their research careers by cross-training in a pertinent field to acquire new research skills or knowledge.
Q. Is it necessary for applicants to have previous experience with aging-related or longevity research?
A. No. Examples of cross-training discipline collaborations for scientists with expertise in human and/or nonhuman primate (NHP) studies that would be well-suited for this award include collaborations on factors related to differences on primate species’ longevity engaging cross-disciplinary combinations such as (but not limited to):
- Nonhuman primate and human longevity research
- Evolutionary biology and genetics
- Biological anthropology and other biomedical research
- Neuroscience and cognition
- Primate field studies and comparative biology of aging
- Biodemography and primate field studies
- Developmental biology and evolutionary biology
- Biological anthropology and social/behavioral sciences
Q. Are non-neuro projects responsive to this funding opportunity?
A. Yes. This NOFO welcomes applications proposing cross-disciplinary training collaborations focused on comparative studies of life span in primates that could be of programmatic relevance to any of NIA’s four extramural divisions ( Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology , Division of Aging Biology , Division of Behavioral and Social Research , Division of Neuroscience )
Q. Would projects focused on age-related diseases be responsive to this funding opportunity?
A. Studies focused on mechanisms contributing to species differences in progression of age-related disease risk factors and pathologies are of interest. Studies on diseases, risk factors, or pathologies confined to an individual species (i.e. animal model studies) are not responsive to this funding opportunity.
Q. Do the research projects for this funding opportunity need to be explicitly comparative (i.e., generate data, test hypotheses in at least two primate species) - or can they focus on one primate species?
A. Studies must include comparative analysis involving at least two primate species. Applications proposing studies on a single primate species are not responsive to this NOFO and will not be reviewed.
Q. Are there any special instructions and/or review criteria for applications to this NOFO?
A. Yes. Section IV: Application and Submission Information of this NOFO contains specific instructions regarding application content.
Please review Section V: Application Review Information of the NOFO for review criteria “Specific to this NOFO” which outlines additional evaluation questions to address.
Q. When are applications due?
A. There is a single receipt date: November 1, 2024. No late applications will be accepted.
Q. Are Letters of Intent required? When are they due?
A. Letters of Intent are not required, but they are recommended. Letters of Intent are due on September 20, 2024.
It is also strongly encouraged that all applicants consult with the NIA program staff early in their planning process and not later than the Letter of Intent due date. This consultation is considered separate from the Letter of Intent. Inquiries should be sent to the NIA Scientific/Research Contact listed below. Inquiries will be directed to the appropriate NIA Division staff who can then advise whether proposed activities would be considered responsive to the objectives and goals of this FOA.
Q. How many applicants will be awarded under RFA-AG-25-028?
A: NIA intends to commit up to $1.5 million in FY 2025 to fund approximately 4 to 5 awards, contingent on funding availability.
Q. How can I find information on awarded grants for a specific NIA funding opportunity?
A. These can be identified on the NIH RePORTER page. By selecting the “Advanced Search” option you can search for the related funding opportunity number within the “Opportunity Number” field. This will give you results for all funded awardees for a selected NOFO.
Q. Are there application budget limits?
A. Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses. NIA will contribute up to $100,000 in direct costs per year toward the research development costs of the award recipient. The total salary requested may not exceed the legislatively mandated salary cap (see NOT-OD-24-057 for further guidance).
Q. Who should I contact if I have further questions?
A. Application Submission Contacts
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552
General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-945-7573
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov
Scientific/Research Contact
Carol Nguyen
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Email: carol.nguyen@nih.gov
Peer Review Contact
Ramesh Vemuri, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-402-7700
Email: ramesh.vemuri@nih.gov
Financial/Grants Management Contact
Laura Pone
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-451-9956
Email: laura.pone@nih.gov
Eligibility
Below are eligibility information FAQs.
Q. What are the eligibility requirements for applicants?
A. This award is intended for mid-career investigators who have established records of independent, peer-reviewed research grant funding. An academic rank of associate or full professor, or the equivalent in non-academic research settings, is required for eligibility for this award. Please see Section III of the NOFO for additional eligibility information.
Q. Can adjunct professors apply?
A. Applicants must have a full-time position with an academic rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor (or the equivalent in non-academic research setting) to be eligible for this award.
Q. What level of effort is required for investigators applying to this mentored K award?
A. An applicant must devote a minimum of three person months of effort (i.e., 25% of full-time professional effort) per year to their program of career development. This effort can be expended consistently throughout the academic or calendar year or be focused during summer or off-term months. Candidates may engage in other duties as part of the professional effort not covered by this award, as long as such duties do not interfere with or detract from the proposed career development program.
Mentors
Below are mentor information FAQs.
Q. Can I identify more than one mentor?
A. Yes. Applicants may identify more than one mentor, as long as all proposed mentors have relevant expertise and available resources in one or more applicant knowledge-gap areas.
Q. Can the primary mentor be an early career investigator (i.e., assistant professor)?
A. Yes. There are no restrictions or stipulations for the primary mentor to be of a particular academic rank. The mentor(s)’ BioSketch(es) must provide evidence of their relevant expertise and experience in the target research training area, as well as a history of successful mentorship, to demonstrate their ability to guide the applicant in organizing, managing, and implementing the proposed research and career development plan. At the same time, applicants may wish to assemble a mentoring team with complementary and relevant expertise.
Q. Are international mentors and/or collaborators allowed?
A. Yes. Awards are limited to U.S. institutions but can include foreign components such as: collaborations with investigators at a foreign site and use of facilities or instrumentation at a foreign site. Proposed interaction frequency, modality and duration should be provided to demonstrate mentor availability and meeting feasibility.
Q. Can I choose a mentor with whom with I’ve previously collaborated, if the proposed mentor is in a different area of expertise?
A. This is addressed within the eligibility criteria of the NOFO, “The candidate and the proposed host laboratory/research program should not have extensive previous research collaborations.”
It is up to the applicant to define what constitutes extensive collaborations and to make the case for why a mentor with whom the applicant has previously collaborated would be an appropriate mentor (with appropriate expertise) for this K18 career development opportunity.
Q. If the mentor is trained in a different discipline and has expertise in an area that is different from the applicant, can the applicant and mentor be from the same department?
A. No, the applicant and mentor may not be from the same department. Applications that propose career enhancement activities (including the collaborative research project between awardee and mentor) within the department of the applicant’s current primary appointment will be considered non-responsive and withdrawn prior to review.
Q. Is it required that the proposed mentor(s) be from a different institution than the applicant?
A. No. Career enhancement activities may be conducted within the candidate’s institution but must not be in the department of the applicant’s current primary appointment. The proposed research project can be conducted in facilities or field sites affiliated with either the applicant’s institution (i.e., site of the candidate’s primary appointments) or the mentor’s institution. Additionally, the candidate and proposed mentor(s) should not have extensive previous research collaborations.
Q. Can mentor’s salaries be supported by this award?
A. No. Award budgets are composed of applicant salary and research development costs of the award recipient (as outlined in Section II. Award Information).
However, this interdisciplinary collaboration is intended to be mutually beneficial, by providing both the mentor and candidate with a broadened and more diverse research scope, as well as expanded networks for future collaboration and resource access. It is expected that this initiative will lead to new and/or augmented collaborative research programs competitive for NIA funding.
Q. Where can I find assistance if I need help in identifying an appropriate mentor or mentors or in developing components of the career enhancement plan?
A. There are a variety of research resources that can assist in identifying potential mentors and/or be engaged as components of the applicant’s career enhancement plan. Many of these resources are listed in Section I. Funding Opportunity Description of RFA-AG-25-028. We recommend that potential applicants consult NIA program staff early on in their process of considering or planning an application, especially if help is needed in identifying a mentor or mentoring team. Inquiries should be sent to the NIA Scientific/Research Contact (link to below section with contact information).
Q. Can multiple applications that identify the same mentor be submitted?
A. Applications are submitted by the mentee, and more than one applicant can identify the same mentor, provided the mentor has the appropriate expertise and resources. A mentor may sponsor multiple candidates for this award, but a mentee candidate may only have one career development application under consideration at one time.