Eligibility Requirements#

•  Eligibility and Application FAQs

  Letter of Intent and Application

  • Is the Letter of Intent required?
    Yes, the Letter of Intent is required to submit the full application by February 16, 2024.
  • Are the Letter of Intent requirements similar to the Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship (AARF)?
    They are different. For the New Investigator Award, there is no need for project summary and other project information. You must fill out the proposal title and keywords and information about the candidate.
  • What is needed to submit the Letter of Intent?
    Keywords and a brief description are all that is needed for the Letter of Intent.
  • Are the specific aims needed for the Letter of Intent?
    No, the specific aims are only required for the full application.
  • Can I submit letters of support from people other than the director of the ADRC?
    Yes, additional letters are allowed, but are not necessary for the evaluation of your application.

  Mentorship Program

  • Is an ADRC mentor required?
    No, you are not required to have a mentor.
  • Do I need to have a REC mentor, or can I select my own mentor?
    You are not required to have a REC mentor and you are free to select your own mentor.
  • When will applicants be assigned a mentor to work with on the application?
    For applicants who have requested a mentor, REC will notify and connect you with your mentor in December.

  Eligibility Questions

  Budget and Funding

  • Is this award compatible with having other sources of funding, such as fellowships from the Alzheimer’s Association?
    Yes, you can have other sources of funding and also receive a New Investigator Award.
  • Are current Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship (AARF) awardees eligible?
    Yes, you are eligible.

  Rank and Degree Status

  • Does the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) honor the NIH 12-month extension within the 10 year-of-rank eligibility for parental leave or other qualified reason for absence?
    Yes, the NIH 12-month leave extension applies to the New Investigator Award Program funding as well.
  • What counts as an interruption or qualified reason for absence?
    These will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
  • My institution does not use traditional academic rank and/or faculty system. I believe I meet the qualifications for an early career investigator and am affiliated with an ADRC, can I still apply?
    Yes, the intent of the New Investigator Award Program is to provide funding for early career and new investigators who have not received an R01 or similar type funding, and who are not classified as Senior Investigators. If your position is equivalent to the eligible early career investigators in a traditional academic rank/faculty system, you are eligible to apply for the NIAP. Please include a 1-2 sentence note about the equivalency in your final application.
  • Do you have to have a PhD or MD to apply for this program?
    Yes, you must have one of these degrees to qualify for this award program.
  • As an assistant professor, would I be considered as a new investigator and thus eligible for this award?
    Yes. The "rank" eligibility requirement is intended to be within 10 years of last terminal/doctoral degree or post doc residency/fellowship.
  • If you received a MD >10 years ago and just received a PhD this year - I’m assuming still eligible to apply?
    Yes, you are still eligible to apply.
  • Would previous REC scholars be considered eligible?
    Yes, as long as you meet the other eligibility criteria.

  ADRC Affiliation

  • How can I check if I’m affiliated with ADRC?
    Please contact your ADRC administrator and/or director to ask if you are affiliated with your ADRC. ADRC Directors must provide a letter to confirm that the new investigator's ADRC affiliation was in place by October 2023 or earlier and is ongoing.
  • Can I apply for this award if I'm not affiliated with an ADRC?
    New Investigators must have a pre-existing affiliation with an ADRC. Applicants should contact the ADRC administrator and/or director to determine their eligibility. ADRC Directors must provide a letter to confirm that the new investigator’s ADRC affiliation was in place prior to October 2023 and is ongoing. The letter must also affirm the ADRC Director’s commitment to distribute and provide financial oversight for the award funds. A template for the letter is provided in the online application materials.
    If you are not eligible for this award, we encourage you to apply for other funding mechanisms, such as an R03 Award or for opportunities available through the Alzheimer’s Association’s programs at alz.org/grants.
  • What qualifies as “affiliated with an ADRC?”
    To be affiliated with an ADRC, you must have a prior formal relationship with or receive salary support from the ADRC. Part of your time must be dedicated to ADRC-related projects and activities. You can confirm your ADRC affiliation by contacting your ADRC administrator and/or director. ADRC Directors must provide a letter to confirm that the new investigator's ADRC affiliation was in place by October 2023 or earlier and is ongoing.
  • Do we have to be affiliated with the specific ADRC program director or, in general, with an ADRC center?
    Your affiliation is with the ADRC and not specifically with the ADRC director.
  • Our university is an ADRC-affiliated institution. Does that mean that I am affiliated with an ADRC?
    Not necessarily. Please contact your ADRC administrator and/or director to ask if you are affiliated with your ADRC.
  • What if you start at an ADRC affiliated site and transfer to a non-affiliated one? Does it carry over?
    You will need to contact your ADRC Administrator and/or Director to ask if you are still affiliated with your ADRC.

  R01 Status

  • What are the eligibility criteria concerning R01 grant involvement for assistant professors and other researchers? How do different roles such as co-investigator, multiple PI, and leadership positions on an R01 impact the eligibility to apply for this award?
    Applicants who hold significant leadership roles in R01 grants, such as Principal Investigator (PI), Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), or a Multiple Principal Investigator (mPI), are not eligible to apply for the award. However, individuals who contribute to R01 projects in non-leadership capacities, such as co-investigators or key personnel, maintain their eligibility.

  Citizenship Status and Location

  • Do applicants have to be US citizens or are there any specific requirements for US residency, etc.?
    Non-US residents are eligible to apply for a New Investigator Award if they are affiliated with an ADRC. They must also have a US visa that is valid at the time of the application and for the entire project timeline and award funding period. Additionally, New Investigator Award Program funding is not transferable outside the US if the investigator leaves the US.
  • Will this fund non-US work?
    No, New Investigator Award funds are not transferrable outside the US.

  Multiple Investigators

  • Does the New Investigator Award Program accept multiple PIs in the application?
    There should be a single PI, since the purpose is to provide essentially “pre-K” or pre R01 support for a single individual.
  • I am wondering whether investigators outside my organization can be consultants. Do they need to be affiliated with ADRC?
    There is no specific restriction on consultants. However, the consultants must also be “acceptable” to ADRC Director as consistent with the project: and perhaps more importantly that the Investigator themselves is primarily involved and “doing” the study as well as benefiting from the educational experience of completing a project.

  Research Focus and Use of NACC Data

  • Does the New Investigator Award Program accept data collection in the project?
    Data collection may always occur within the project, such that it is related to the research question which is the subject of the application. Applications with only the goal of “collecting data” would be regarded as non-responsive or simply low impact. Also, where data collection is included, it is the applicant’s responsibility to describe methods of collection as well as database plans for those study specific data.
  • I am unsure if my project focus is within the allowed topics for this award, can I still apply?
    The New Investigator Award Program is an open call for any area of research in the AD/ADRD research spectrum.
  • Is there a priority for those using NACC data?
    No, there is no requirement for or priority given to the use NACC data.
  • Are feasibility and pilot studies eligible for this program?
    Yes.

  ADRC Related Questions

  • Is there a limit on the number of proposals that can come from the same ADRC?
    There is no limit on the number of applicants from an individual ADRC.
  • Are investigators from Exploratory ADRCs eligible to apply?
    Yes.

  Other Questions

  • How many applications are typically submitted for this funding opportunity?
    2023 Awards – NACC received 31 applications and funded 2 New Investigator Awards
    2022 Awards – NACC received 51 applications and funded 3 New Investigator Awards
  • What percentage of accepted applications are typically submitted by post-docs?
    This is a new partnership between the Alzheimer's Association and the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. We are able to offer 10 awards this year with significantly more funding. As a result, we do not know the estimated percentages or trends yet.
  • Can an ADRC give out a subaward from the same funding stream as the New Investigator Award Program?
    No, it is not allowed to give out a subaward from the same funding stream. We cannot honor third party tier contracts.

  Award Distribution & Budgetary Requirements

  • Does this application require a minimum effort?
    The principal investigator must commit to a 50% research effort each funding year. Note this is minimum time committed to research; and not necessary time to this project or equivalent to salary % allocated.
  • Is there a salary cap?
    The 2023 NIH salary cap is $212,000, and the 2024 NIH salary cap will likely be posted in January.
  • How would the funds be administered in the event of an award? What is the pass-through entity (PTE)?
    NACC will distribute one of the NI awards to a researcher and their associated ADRC. The other nine NI awards will be distributed directly from the Alzheimer’s Association (bypassing NACC). The PTE will be determined at the time of the award.
  • Are indirect costs limited to 10%? What if our federally negotiated rate is higher than that? Is the IDC rate for total costs, total direct costs, or modified total direct costs?
    The 2024 New Investigator awards will be funded by NACC and Alzheimer’s Association, up to 10 awards. If the award is supported by the Alzheimer’s Association, the IDC is 10%, the F&A base is the Total Direct Cost (TDC). If the award is funded by NACC with funding from NIA, the IDC rate is the institution’s federally negotiated rate, and the F&A base is the modified total direct costs (MTDC). The 10% or the federally negotiated rate only applies to indirect costs, which will be added to the total direct cost budget and determined at the time of the award.

  If your question is not addressed in the FAQ, please contact us at info@naccdata.org