Multimorbidity in Alzheimers Disease Impacts Choice of Ancillary Treatments (R33) | RFA AG 17 060

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 17 060

The grant opportunity titled "Multimorbidity in Alzheimers Disease Impacts Choice of Ancillary Treatments (R33)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AG-17-060) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant focused on a practical problem seen constantly in real-world dementia care: most people living with Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) also have other chronic conditions, and those comorbidities can strongly influence which additional (ancillary) treatments clinicians choose, how well those treatments work, and how safely they can be used. The central aim of the announcement is to support research that improves the effectiveness of treatment strategies for these commonly co-occurring conditions when the patient also has ADRD, recognizing that dementia can change risk-benefit tradeoffs, adherence, side effect sensitivity, caregiver involvement, and clinical decision-making.

This FOA specifically calls for advanced-stage studies, meaning it is not geared toward early discovery or purely mechanistic work. Instead, it emphasizes research designs that are close to practice and can inform care decisions in a realistic way. Two broad study types are highlighted: advanced-stage observational treatment studies and pragmatic clinical trials. In plain terms, the NIH is looking for projects that evaluate how treatment strategies perform in the settings and populations where they are actually used, often leveraging routine clinical data, health system workflows, and real-world patient diversity rather than idealized, highly controlled trial conditions. The focus on pragmatic approaches signals interest in outcomes that matter to patients, caregivers, and health systems, such as functional status, cognition-related safety issues, hospitalizations, medication burden, and feasibility of implementation alongside dementia care.

The subject matter is multimorbidity in ADRD, with an emphasis on comorbid conditions that frequently cluster with Alzheimers and related dementias and that commonly drive additional prescribing or non-pharmacologic interventions. While the announcement text provided does not list specific comorbidities, the intent is clearly to address the practical challenges of choosing and optimizing ancillary treatments when dementia is present, such as how standard treatment guidelines for other diseases should be adapted, which strategies produce better outcomes or fewer harms, and how clinicians can make better choices when typical evidence bases do not reflect the ADRD population. The underlying theme is comparative effectiveness in complex patients: determining which approaches work best, for whom, and under what real-world circumstances.

From an administrative standpoint, this is an NIH grant using the R33 activity code and falls under the health funding activity category with CFDA number 93.866. The opportunity was created on 2016-10-27 and had an original closing date of 2017-01-12. An award ceiling is not specified in the provided source data, and the expected number of awards is also not listed, so applicants would typically have needed to refer to the full FOA text for budget and programmatic expectations.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic organizations and governmental units: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories as stated); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types that NIH sometimes calls out to encourage inclusive participation, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). Taken together, that breadth suggests NIH interest in research that can be carried out across many kinds of health systems and community contexts, including settings serving historically underrepresented or underserved populations.

In summary, this FOA is best understood as support for late-stage, practice-relevant research aimed at improving how clinicians and health systems treat the non-dementia conditions that commonly accompany ADRD, with a clear preference for study designs that can generate actionable evidence in real-world care. It is designed to move beyond the idea of treating Alzheimers in isolation and toward evidence that reflects the complex medical realities of people living with dementia and multiple chronic illnesses.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Multimorbidity in Alzheimers Disease Impacts Choice of Ancillary Treatments (R33)" 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 2016-10-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-01-12. (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 17 060

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