RFA: UK-ADRC Development Project Program
The UK-ADRC Development Project Program is a newly established pilot program supported by our NIH
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (UK-ADRC) grant P30 AG072946. The program is aimed at junior
investigators (postdoctoral fellows, assistant professors, senior research associates, or clinical fellows) and
will provide pilot grant support for research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. Awards are
intended to provide seed funding for novel hypotheses that lead to national-level funding of an expanded
research plan based on the pilot work.
Development Projects may propose either 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year projects at $50,000 per year.
In this application cycle, we will award one 1-year, one 2-year, and one 3-year project, with funding to start
October 1, 2021.
Eligibility:
The program is open to all faculty with appointments at UK, as well as senior research associates, clinical
fellows, or postdoctoral investigators. Postdoctoral or junior investigators are encouraged to apply. More
senior investigators from other fields who wish to apply their expertise to ADRD research or explore new
ideas that is not an extension of ongoing ADRD research are also eligible.
Proposals with a focus on basic/ clinical/ translational research relevant to AD and related dementias are
strongly encouraged and of particular interest. Areas of special interest include studies on risk factors,
prevention, preclinical AD, therapeutics, caregiving, minority populations, health disparities, cognitive
processes, and neuroimaging.
Applicants are encouraged to use UK-ADRC resources where feasible [https://sbcoa.med.uky.edu]. In
addition, longitudinal data from all ADRCs are available through the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center
(NACC) [https://naccdata.org] and biospecimens are available through the National Centralized Repository
for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) [https://ncrad.iu.edu]. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to visit these websites to see if the resources would be of benefit to their proposed projects.
Applicants are also encouraged where possible to communicate before submission with investigators in the
ADRC’s existing Cores -- Clinical [Dr. Gregory Jicha], Neuropathology [Dr. Peter Nelson], Data Management
& Statistics [Dr. Richard Kryscio], Outreach Recruitment & Engagement [Dr. Frederick Schmitt], and Research
Education Component [Dr. Linda Van Eldik]) -- in order to strengthen their research plan.
Development Project Applications should include:
- Significance of the research question and the potential impact in the field.
- Scientific merit, feasibility, and appropriateness of the proposed experiment.
- The use of ADRC resources where possible.
- Expertise of the applicant and research team.
- The novelty and innovation of the proposed research.
- The intent and plan that will lead to extramural funding.
Application Format:
- Cover page that provides the Title of the proposal, PI name, Academic Position, Department, Campus Address, Email, Phone #.
- Proposed Research Plan in NO MORE THAN 3 (three) pages (single-spaced using no less than 11-point Arial font and 1/2” margins). Include Specific Aims, Background & Significance, Preliminary Work (if available), and Experimental Design. Up to 3 additional pages of figures and Literature Cited can be included if desired. The ideal project will be focused on obtaining preliminary data for support of a future submission for extramural research funding.
- Description and plan of how this award will aid in extramural funding (1/2 page) Describe how the data derived from this award will help procure extramural research funding. Describe what extramural sources might be targeted from this type of data.
- Description of the Research Team (1/2 page). Describe how the applicant and research team is best qualified for this research proposal and how it is suited for ADRD research.
- Biographical Sketch (5-page limit, NIH old-style format OK).
- Budget, with budget justification. Up to $50,000 can be requested each year, for either 1-year, 2- year, or 3-year proposals.
Applications will be accepted and reviewed according to the following schedule
Call for Applications: 26 July 2021
Full Application Receipt Deadline: 31 Aug 2021
Funding Decision: 15 Sept 2021
Funding Starts: 1 Oct 2021
APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED AS SINGLE PDF FILE TO:
Charlotte Wood (charlotte.wood@uky.edu) by 11:59pm, Tuesday Aug 31, 2021.
Application Review: Applications will be reviewed by the Development Project Review Committee and
external faculty reviewers (if needed) with expertise in the fields covered in the applications. Summaries of the
reviews will be provided to the applicant.
Questions: Any questions regarding this announcement should be addressed to Drs. Linda Van Eldik
(linda.vaneldik@uky.edu) or Daniel C. Lee (dan.lee@uky.edu).