NIH RFA-AG-25-020: 2025 Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Optional)

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This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) award. The goal of the OAIC program is to establish centers of excellence in geriatrics research and research education to increase scientific knowledge leading to better ways to maintain or restore independence in older persons. OAIC awards are designed to develop or strengthen programs that focus on, and sustain progress in, a key area of aging research related to the mission of the OAIC program.

Area of Focus

To achieve the objectives listed above, each OAIC should promote a sustained research program in an area of focus through which the Center will accomplish the innovation, leadership, collaboration, and research education functions described above. It is crucial to the design of an OAIC to identify an important research area to be addressed, to specify the goals to be achieved within the five-year OAIC award period, to provide a plan to reach these goals, and to outline a method to evaluate progress toward these goals during the course of the OAIC award. The selection of core activities (see below) should follow from these considerations.

An OAIC may select an area of research focus from a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Aging-related issues concerning a specific condition contributing to loss of independence in older persons (e.g., role of aging changes in the etiology of the condition; special issues in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of the condition in old age; complications, disability, or symptoms from the condition found principally in older persons).
• Causes, assessment, prevention, and treatment (including rehabilitation) of a specific type of disability in older persons.
• Causes, prevention, and treatment of geriatric syndromes (e.g., sarcopenia, falls, incontinence) that are related to multiple pathologies and/or disabilities.
• Specific aging-related physiologic changes, other risk factors, and/or interventions (e.g., physical activity) that affect risk for multiple conditions or disabilities in old age.
• Interactions of multiple diseases, disabilities, and interventions (e.g., medications) in older persons and their relationship to risk of morbidity, progression of disability, and efficacy of prevention or treatment strategies.
• Factors contributing to amelioration or delay of multiple deleterious aging changes by modulating risk factors or fundamental aging mechanisms.

In fiscal year 2025, NIA intend to commit approximately $6.5 million to fund 5 competing general awards and $1.3 million to fund 1 competing ADRD award. The maximum project period is 5 years.