Resources to Promote Coordination and Collaboration across Deeply Phenotyped Longitudinal Behavioral and Social Studies of Aging (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 25 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 25 006

This funding opportunity (RFA-AG-25-006) from the National Institutes of Health supports the creation of a Resource Development Network (RDN) under a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism, with clinical trials not allowed. The central goal is to build shared infrastructure that makes it easier for researchers to coordinate, collaborate, and innovate across deeply phenotyped longitudinal behavioral and social studies of aging. In practical terms, the program is aimed at strengthening the connective tissue across many smaller-to-mid-sized longitudinal studies that already collect rich, detailed measures related to aging, including psychological, social, behavioral, and biobehavioral domains, but that may currently be siloed, difficult to discover, or hard to combine analytically.

A core required deliverable is a publicly available, web-based metadata catalog. This catalog is expected to identify and describe existing deeply phenotyped longitudinal studies focused on factors shaping health and well-being in later life and across the adult lifespan. The emphasis is on metadata rather than simply hosting raw data: the catalog should help the field find studies, understand what variables and measures they include, see how constructs were assessed over time, and determine whether datasets are suitable for harmonization or coordinated analyses. The broader intent is to lower the barrier to entry for cross-study work by making the landscape of available longitudinal resources easier to navigate and compare.

Beyond building the catalog, the RDN is expected to actively engage the research community. The NOFO calls for outreach to investigators to stimulate collaboration, innovation, dissemination, and actual use of the metadata catalog and related datasets. That implies the network should not function like a static directory, but more like a living, field-facing resource that helps investigators connect with one another, develop shared projects, and broaden the scientific impact of existing studies. Outreach could reasonably include communications, convenings, working groups, webinars, office hours, or other community-building activities designed to drive adoption and collaboration.

Another required component is the provision of methodological consultation services, specifically to support researchers who want to pursue data harmonization or coordinated data analysis across deeply phenotyped longitudinal studies. Harmonization is often technically and conceptually challenging because studies may measure similar constructs with different instruments, different timing, different sample characteristics, and different operational definitions. The consultation function is meant to provide expertise, guidance, and problem-solving support so investigators can more effectively align measures, address comparability issues, and choose appropriate analytic strategies for multi-study longitudinal questions.

The NOFO also places explicit priority on workforce development by requiring support for next-generation trainees and early career investigators. The expectation is that the RDN will help these researchers initiate data harmonization and/or coordinated data-analysis projects using deeply phenotyped longitudinal studies to address questions relevant to aging and the adult lifespan. This trainee and early-career emphasis is important because it helps ensure the infrastructure is used, builds capacity for cross-study science, and grows a community skilled in methods needed for longitudinal and integrative research.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, meaning NIH is likely to have substantial programmatic involvement compared to a standard research grant. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $1,600,000 and shows an original closing date of 2024-02-14. The CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 93.866, and the activity category is Health.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations, such as state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, among others. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means certain project elements may be conducted abroad under NIH rules even though the applicant organization must be eligible and primarily U.S.-based.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to accelerate discovery in aging research by making it easier to locate, understand, and responsibly integrate richly measured longitudinal behavioral and social datasets. The RDN is expected to combine practical infrastructure (a usable public metadata catalog), community activation (investigator outreach and dissemination), technical enablement (harmonization and coordinated analysis consultation), and pipeline building (support for trainees and early career researchers) so that existing deeply phenotyped studies can be leveraged more efficiently and collaboratively to answer high-impact questions about health and well-being in later life.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Resources to Promote Coordination and Collaboration across Deeply Phenotyped Longitudinal Behavioral and Social Studies of Aging (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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 2023-11-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-14. (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 $1,600,000.00 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 25 006

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: