Tools and resources to understand the vascular pathophysiology of in vivo neuroimaging findings in ARIA (U24 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA NS 24 034

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 24 034

This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-NS-24-034) supports an Alzheimer s disease-related dementias (ADRD) initiative focused on creating practical, shareable tools and resources that help researchers interpret in vivo neuroimaging findings linked to vascular injury and dysfunction. The central scientific goal is to better explain the vascular pathophysiology that underlies imaging features commonly associated with vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), with an emphasis on TBI-related dementia as well as other ADRD diagnoses. In plain terms, the program is trying to close the gap between what clinicians and researchers see on scans in living people and what those findings actually mean biologically when compared against human neuropathology, so that imaging markers can be understood more accurately and used more effectively across studies and clinical contexts.

The award uses the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means NIH will have substantial programmatic involvement and expects the funded group to operate as a resource builder and distributor for the field rather than running a traditional hypothesis-driven research project. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, so applications should be structured around technology and resource development, standardization, validation, and dissemination instead of testing an intervention in humans. The kinds of outputs NIH is looking for include innovative technologies, methods, protocols, and biomedical materials that make it easier to conduct combined neuropathology and neuroimaging studies, generate high-quality data, and interpret clinically relevant imaging signals through a neuropathologically informed lens. A strong application would usually describe what will be built, how it will be tested for robustness and usability, how it will be documented, and how the broader community will access and adopt it.

A major program expectation is open data sharing and broad distribution. Resources developed under the FOA are intended to expand the overall research community s capacity, not just the awardee s lab or consortium. That implies deliverables such as well-documented pipelines, standardized acquisition or processing protocols, reference datasets, harmonized ontologies, tissue handling and imaging-to-pathology alignment procedures, quality control frameworks, or other community-facing materials that can be reused across institutions. Because the opportunity is explicitly about understanding the pathophysiology behind in vivo imaging findings tied to VCID and related processes, the work should make a clear connection between imaging observations and vascular mechanisms supported by human neuropathology evidence, enabling more confident interpretation of ARIA- and VCID-relevant neuroimaging signatures in living participants.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISIs, along with faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components as defined by NIH policy are allowed, meaning certain well-justified international collaborations or activities may be permissible when structured as a foreign component under NIH rules.

Key administrative details include that the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is health. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.853 and 93.866. The original closing date provided is 2024-06-02, the opportunity was created on 2024-03-28, and the award ceiling is noted as $1,000,000. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH investing in field-building infrastructure: reusable, openly shared tools and standardized resources that let many groups connect neuroimaging findings to underlying vascular biology in ADRD and TBI-related dementia research, improving interpretation, comparability, and scientific traction across studies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tools and resources to understand the vascular pathophysiology of in vivo neuroimaging findings in ARIA (U24 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-02. (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 $1,000,000.00 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 NS 24 034

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