Capturing Complexity in the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Involved in the Etiology of Alzheimer's Disease (R01) | PAR 15 358

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 358

The grant opportunity "Capturing Complexity in the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Involved in the Etiology of Alzheimer's Disease (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-15-358) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant aimed at pushing the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) biology beyond simplified, one-pathway explanations. Its central purpose is to fund innovative, hypothesis-generating or hypothesis-testing projects that dig into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive the real-world complexity of AD, especially the disease's heterogeneity and multifactorial nature. In practical terms, the FOA is looking for research that can explain why Alzheimer's can look biologically and clinically different across people, how multiple processes interact to produce disease, and where current models may be incomplete or misleading. A major emphasis is on work that can create new paradigms or directly challenge existing ones, rather than simply extending well-worn approaches.

This FOA supports R01-level projects, meaning full-scale, investigator-initiated research programs that can be conducted by a single laboratory or through collaborative, multi-investigator efforts. The announcement encourages proposals that use creative experimental strategies and modern biology toolkits to capture complexity, fill critical knowledge gaps, and clarify mechanisms that might be missed when AD is treated as a single uniform condition. While the public summary does not list specific scientific topics, the framing makes clear that NIH is prioritizing mechanistic work at the molecular and cellular level that addresses interacting pathways and sources of variation in AD biology. The overall intent is to enable studies that provide more realistic and explanatory models of disease etiology, ultimately improving the foundation for future diagnostics and therapeutic strategies.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant funding instrument, with a health-focused activity category. The CFDA number associated with the program is 93.866, and the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. The FOA was created on September 25, 2015, and the original closing date listed is January 7, 2019.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many typical NIH applicant types: state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those specific nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants, 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, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA draws firm boundaries around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. In addition, foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. In short, the work must be led and conducted within allowable U.S. organizational structures without foreign components under NIH definitions.

Overall, this R01 opportunity is best understood as an NIH push to fund ambitious, mechanism-driven Alzheimer's research that accounts for biological complexity, embraces heterogeneity, and is willing to challenge established assumptions about how the disease starts and progresses at the molecular and cellular levels, with eligibility structured to support a wide range of U.S. institutions and organizations while excluding foreign entities and foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Capturing Complexity in the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Involved in the Etiology of Alzheimer's Disease (R01)" 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 2015-09-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-07. (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 PAR 15 358

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