Building Neuroscience Research Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) in Africa (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 24 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 24 027

The NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA) funding opportunity RFA-AG-24-027, titled "Building Neuroscience Research Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) in Africa (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," is designed to strengthen the foundational research capacity needed to study AD and ADRD across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa. Rather than funding large clinical trials, the emphasis is on building and improving the practical infrastructure that makes high-quality neuroscience research possible over the long term. This includes creating or enhancing shared tools and resources such as culturally appropriate research instruments and surveys, biospecimen collection and storage capabilities, data systems and datasets, and other enabling platforms that can support future neuroscience studies on dementia in African settings.

A central purpose of the program is to spark and solidify collaborative, durable partnerships between U.S. investigators or institutions and LMIC-based institutions or scientists in Africa. The NOFO signals a clear preference for "transformative" collaborations, meaning partnerships that do more than exchange data or provide short-term training. The intent is to build working research networks that can jointly design studies, generate and manage high-quality data and specimens, and maintain research programs that continue after the grant ends. These collaborations are expected to be structured in a way that strengthens local capacity, increases shared leadership, and creates sustainable research ecosystems for AD/ADRD neuroscience.

The award uses the UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement structure, described as a Phase Innovation Award mechanism. In practice, this supports a staged approach: an initial period focused on planning, development, and early implementation of infrastructure (UG3), followed by an expansion or execution phase (UH3) once milestones are met. The cooperative agreement format also means NIH staff are expected to have substantial involvement in the project as partners in stewardship, which often includes milestone-driven oversight, coordination expectations, and active programmatic engagement. Importantly, the NOFO states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," indicating the projects should not propose clinical trials; instead, they should focus on enabling resources, capacity building, and pilot or exploratory work that prepares the ground for future research efforts.

In addition to infrastructure development, the NOFO encourages projects that incorporate Africa-relevant scientific questions in AD/ADRD neuroscience, including how social and behavioral factors influence dementia risk, progression, detection, or outcomes in African contexts. This may include building platforms that allow researchers to better measure environmental exposures, education and literacy effects, cardiovascular and metabolic risk patterns, health care access, stigma, caregiving structures, language and cultural factors affecting cognitive testing, and other context-specific determinants that shape dementia research and public health responses. The idea is to create research-ready systems that reflect real-world African populations and settings, rather than importing tools that do not translate well culturally or clinically.

Another expected component is the initiation of pilot or exploratory studies that help prove feasibility, refine methods, and generate preliminary data for future, larger research programs in AD/ADRD neuroscience. These pilots are not positioned as endpoints; they function as testbeds to validate recruitment approaches, data collection workflows, biospecimen pipelines, neurocognitive assessment strategies, and analytic methods in ways that will make subsequent research more competitive and more scientifically grounded. Over time, the infrastructure and early findings are expected to support prevention and mitigation strategies for AD/ADRD in Africa by enabling stronger epidemiology, neuroscience discovery, and translational research relevant to local needs.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types, including state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), independent school districts, and public housing authorities, among others. The NOFO also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, tribal colleges and universities, faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, there are important restrictions: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign 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, which typically means U.S. applicant organizations can include substantive project elements carried out in collaboration with foreign sites, personnel, or institutions when justified and appropriately structured.

Geographically, the program is specifically focused on LMICs in Africa, using World Bank income classifications to define eligible country categories. The funding is categorized under health (CFDA 93.866) and uses a cooperative agreement instrument, signaling both the infrastructure-building intent and the close NIH involvement typical for complex, multi-partner initiatives. The original application closing date listed is February 14, 2024, and while the provided summary does not include an award ceiling or expected number of awards, the overall thrust is clear: build durable neuroscience research infrastructure, deepen equitable U.S.-Africa collaborations, and generate the tools, datasets, biospecimen resources, and early evidence needed to accelerate AD/ADRD research and ultimately support effective prevention and mitigation approaches across African settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Neuroscience Research Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) in Africa (UG3/UH3 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 2023-08-25.
• 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.)
• 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 24 027

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