National Alzheimers Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 26 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 26 003

The National Alzheimers Coordinating Center (NACC) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-26-003) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Notice of Funding Opportunity from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support a single, centralized coordinating center for the Alzheimers Disease Research Centers (ADRC) program. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U24), which typically means the funded organization will work closely with NIA program staff and other stakeholders in a substantial, ongoing partnership rather than operating entirely independently. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," so the proposed work should focus on infrastructure, coordination, and data resource functions rather than conducting interventional clinical trials.

At its core, the NACC is expected to serve the AD/ADRD field in three major ways. First, it functions as a national data resource by collecting and harmonizing data from ADRCs along with affiliated datasets and information tied to sample repositories. This implies responsibilities such as receiving standardized data submissions, curating and validating incoming records, maintaining documentation and data dictionaries, managing versioning and quality control, and supporting secure access or distribution pathways that allow qualified researchers to use the data responsibly. The emphasis on ADRC data and affiliated repositories also signals that the center is meant to be an authoritative, long-term platform that enables large-scale, multi-site analyses and supports reproducibility by keeping data consistent and well-governed over time.

Second, the NACC is intended to be an active facilitator of current and future Alzheimers disease and Alzheimers disease-related dementias research. In practice, that facilitation role often includes making data more findable and usable, enabling cross-center collaboration, supporting the development and adoption of common data elements, responding to evolving scientific priorities (for example, emerging biomarkers, new diagnostic frameworks, or novel cohort characterization needs), and helping the research community efficiently leverage ADRC-generated resources. The NOFO description suggests that NACC is not just a storage site; it is expected to help propel the field forward by lowering barriers to high-quality, multi-center research and by ensuring ADRC outputs can be integrated into broader scientific efforts.

Third, the NACC is positioned as the main communications and coordination hub for the ADRC program and its interface with the broader community. The NOFO highlights organizing and enabling communication both within and outside the ADRC program, including annual meetings and steering committees. This points to logistical and programmatic duties such as planning meetings, supporting committee operations, preparing materials and summaries, coordinating agendas, tracking action items and deliverables, and ensuring that information flows smoothly among centers, NIA leadership, and other partners. This hub role also typically involves maintaining channels that keep researchers aligned on policies, standards, timelines, and emerging priorities, which is especially important in a multi-institution national program.

The opportunity falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.866. The application deadline listed is October 17, 2025, and the NOFO was created on June 17, 2025. The award ceiling is $10,350,000, indicating a large, national-scale infrastructure and coordination effort. While the listing shows "ExpectedAwards:" without a number, the nature of a single national coordinating center often implies a limited number of awards, potentially one, though applicants should rely on the full NOFO for the official award count and budget period details.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many government entities (state, county, city/township, special district), public and independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized tribal governments, and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Higher education institutions are eligible, including public/state-controlled and private institutions. Both nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits aside from small businesses) are also eligible. The NOFO explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as 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, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in a specific way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain foreign elements within the project structure when permitted by NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic and the main project components cannot be non-domestic.

Overall, this NOFO is aimed at supporting a central, field-defining infrastructure that keeps the ADRC program connected, makes its data broadly useful for the AD/ADRD research community, and provides the organizational backbone for coordination, governance, and communication. The successful applicant would need to demonstrate the capacity to operate a high-reliability national data and coordination platform at scale, sustain complex stakeholder engagement, and meet NIA expectations under a cooperative agreement framework without proposing clinical trial activities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Alzheimers Coordinating Center (U24 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 2025-06-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,350,000.00 in funding.
• 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 26 003

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