Resources to Promote Coordination and Collaboration across Deeply Phenotyped Longitudinal Behavioral and Social Studies of Aging (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 23 003

FAQs: NIH RFA-AG-23-003 (U24, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

What is the title and identifier of this NIH funding opportunity?

The opportunity is NIH RFA-AG-23-003, titled "Resources to Promote Coordination and Collaboration across Deeply Phenotyped Longitudinal Behavioral and Social Studies of Aging (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The purpose is to build and operate a coordinated set of shared resources that make it easier for the research community to work across multiple long-running studies of aging that have unusually rich, detailed measurement (deep phenotyping) in psychological, behavioral, social, and biobehavioral domains.

Is this opportunity intended to fund a clinical trial?

No. The FOA explicitly indicates "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." The overall aim is not to run a clinical trial, but to create and run shared infrastructure that supports coordination and collaboration across existing longitudinal studies of aging.

What funding mechanism does NIH use for this opportunity?

NIH uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24). This means the awardee is expected to work in close partnership with NIH staff, with substantial involvement typical for this type of funding.

What is meant by a "cooperative agreement" (U24) in practical terms?

In practical terms, a U24 cooperative agreement typically involves active collaboration with NIH staff during project execution. The funded project is expected to operate as a coordinated resource effort rather than a fully independent, investigator-only activity.

What is the central structure being created under this FOA?

The FOA centers on creating a Resource Development Network. This network is intended to serve as shared infrastructure that helps separate longitudinal cohorts and studies align with one another, communicate, and collaborate more efficiently.

Why does NIH want a Resource Development Network for these studies?

Longitudinal aging studies often collect overlapping but not identical measures over many years. That makes cross-study comparisons and pooled analyses difficult even when scientific questions are similar. NIH is seeking an effort that actively supports coordination so investigators can more readily harmonize measures, compare findings, innovate on methods, and generate stronger, more generalizable insights about aging.

What kinds of studies are the focus of this opportunity?

The focus is on studies of aging that are both longitudinal (repeated measurement over time) and deeply phenotyped (rich, detailed measurement), particularly in psychological, behavioral, social, and biobehavioral domains.

What does "deeply phenotyped" imply in this context?

Within the information provided, "deep phenotyping" refers to unusually rich, detailed measurement across psychological, behavioral, social, and biobehavioral domains, capturing the complexity of aging and its correlates over time.

What types of research content or domains are emphasized?

The FOA emphasizes broad coverage of behavioral and social factors alongside psychological and biobehavioral content, including areas such as behavior change, social context, stress and resilience, cognition and emotion, health behaviors, and biological correlates that connect lived experience to health outcomes.

Is the goal to create new datasets, or to make existing studies work better together?

Based on the description provided, the emphasis is on building resources that promote coordination and collaboration across multiple existing long-running studies, making complex datasets more interoperable and more useful for harmonization, comparison, pooled analyses, and methodological innovation.

What are examples of activities this infrastructure is intended to enable?

The infrastructure is intended to help investigators harmonize measures across studies, compare findings across cohorts, innovate on cross-study methods, and support collaboration so that results can be more robust and generalizable than those from any single study alone.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizational types commonly eligible for NIH funding, including various government entities, educational institutions, tribal governments and organizations, nonprofits, for-profits, small businesses, and other organizations meeting NIH eligibility requirements.

Which government entities are eligible applicants?

Eligible government applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and eligible federal agencies (as explicitly noted among additional eligible applicant types).

Are institutions of higher education eligible?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

Are nonprofit organizations eligible?

Yes. Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status are listed as eligible, with the provided text noting exclusions related to institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories as listed.

Are for-profit organizations or small businesses eligible?

Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are eligible, and small businesses are also eligible.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible. Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments are also listed as eligible, and the additional eligibility notes also include Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized.

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly noted among additional eligible applicant types.

Are minority-serving institutions specifically mentioned as eligible?

Yes. The FOA explicitly notes additional eligible types including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, and TCCUs.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly mentioned among additional eligible applicant types.

Can non-U.S. (foreign) institutions apply as the applicant organization?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.

Can a non-domestic component of a U.S. organization apply?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.

Are any activities outside the U.S. allowed under this FOA?

Yes, in a limited sense. "Foreign components" (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. That means a U.S. applicant may include certain well-justified activities performed outside the U.S. when permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant institution must be domestic.

What is the associated CFDA number and funding activity area?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.866 and is categorized under the Health funding activity area.

What are the key dates provided for this opportunity?

The FOA creation date is December 20, 2021, and the original closing date listed is July 1, 2022.

Does the provided information include an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?

No. The source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards. Those details would normally be confirmed by reviewing the full FOA text and any related NIH notices.

How should applicants think about the overall "shape" of the project NIH wants to support?

This grant is best understood as support for a coordinating, resource-building hub or network that strengthens connectivity across major longitudinal behavioral and social studies of aging, rather than funding a single hypothesis-driven study or any clinical trial activity.