Network for Identification, Evaluation, and Tracking of Older Persons with Superior Cognitive Performance for Their Chronological Age (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 21 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 21 015

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released this funding opportunity to build a coordinated, multi-site research network focused on older adults who show unusually strong cognitive abilities for their chronological age, often referred to as "cognitive super agers." The main idea is to move beyond small, isolated studies by creating a shared infrastructure that can consistently find these individuals, evaluate them using common methods, and then follow them over time. By pooling participants across multiple locations, the network is meant to generate large enough samples to support more definitive conclusions about why some people maintain exceptional brain and cognitive health into late life.

A central requirement of the program is standardization. The FOA emphasizes uniform identification criteria and uniform data collection so that information gathered at one site can be meaningfully compared with information from another. With consistent procedures in place, the network can examine a wide range of contributing factors that may be linked to sustained cognitive function, including behavioral characteristics, neurological and brain-based measures, general health and medical history, genetics, environmental exposures, and lifestyle patterns. Just as importantly, the network is intended to clarify which commonly assumed factors may not be primary drivers of resilient cognitive aging, helping the field avoid chasing weak or misleading explanations.

The opportunity also anticipates that many applicants or participating institutions may already have relevant cohorts or datasets. In those cases, the FOA calls for harmonization protocols so that existing data can be integrated with newly collected data. In practice, this means developing crosswalks and standard operating procedures that align measures, definitions, instruments, and quality controls across studies and sites. The goal is to maximize the value of prior investments while still achieving a coherent, network-wide dataset that can support robust analyses.

Another highlighted component is planning for brain donation and neuropathology. The FOA notes that providing protocols to obtain brain tissue at autopsy would be an important part of the network. This reflects a recognition that understanding superior cognitive aging is not only about performance on cognitive tests, but also about the underlying brain biology. Autopsy tissue can help researchers connect life-course cognitive trajectories with neuropathological findings, potentially identifying protective factors, resilience mechanisms, or patterns of disease resistance despite advanced age.

Mechanistically, this is a cooperative agreement (U19), meaning NIH would expect substantial involvement in coordinating or steering aspects of the effort compared with a typical investigator-initiated grant. The FOA is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that the proposed work should not be designed as a prospective intervention study where participants are assigned to treatments to test health outcomes. Instead, the emphasis is on identification, evaluation, longitudinal tracking, and observational research activities across sites, along with the infrastructure needed to do that well.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly names categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

The funding opportunity draws a careful line regarding non-U.S. participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. In practical terms, that typically means a U.S. applicant can include certain well-justified international collaborations or activities as part of the project, as long as they are structured as foreign components consistent with NIH policy rather than as the primary applicant institution.

Key administrative details in the source information include the FOA number RFA-AG-21-015, the activity category of health, and the use of a cooperative agreement funding instrument. The agency is NIH, and the CFDA number listed is 93.866. The original closing date shown is October 1, 2020, and the award ceiling listed is $2,500,000. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at accelerating discovery in cognitive aging by building an organized, standardized, and scalable network that can reliably characterize "super agers," track them over time, integrate legacy data where possible, and connect clinical and cognitive profiles to biological evidence, including brain tissue obtained after death.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Network for Identification, Evaluation, and Tracking of Older Persons with Superior Cognitive Performance for Their Chronological Age (U19 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 2020-02-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-10-01. (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 $2,500,000.00 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 21 015

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