Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 12 079
Apply for PAR 12 079
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biodemography of Aging (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866 Aging Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 13, 2012 and posted on Jan 13, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 3, 2014. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses County governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Special district governments Independent school districts 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 State governments City or township governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Biodemography of Aging (R21) funding opportunity (PAR-12-079) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program focused on exploratory, early-stage research that blends demography with the life sciences to deepen what is known about aging, senescence, frailty, mortality, and variation in health and longevity. The central idea behind the announcement is that biodemography can connect population-level patterns (like differences in survival, disease risk, and lifespan across groups) with biological mechanisms and theory, producing a more complete picture of why people age differently and why mortality and frailty accelerate in late life. The FOA is particularly interested in projects that use evolutionary and life history theory as a guiding framework, meaning applicants are encouraged to ground their research questions in established concepts about trade-offs across the life course, reproductive strategies, survival, and how selection pressures and environments may shape aging and late-life outcomes.
The research scope emphasizes integrative proposals that combine demographic methods (for example, population modeling, longitudinal cohort analysis, mortality and hazard modeling, fertility-survival tradeoff analyses, and cross-population comparisons) with biological measures or life-science approaches (such as biomarkers, genetics/genomics, physiology, immune function, or other mechanistic indicators tied to aging processes). A key theme is explaining changes in both lifespan and healthy life expectancy, not only how long people live, but how long they live in relatively good health. The FOA also explicitly calls attention to individual- and population-level factors that underlie differences in late-life frailty and mortality, including sex differences and population differentials, which can include comparisons across racial/ethnic groups, regions, countries, socioeconomic strata, or other populations where mortality and aging trajectories diverge.
This opportunity uses the NIH R21 funding mechanism, which is designed to support exploratory, developmental projects that may be higher risk but potentially high impact, often providing a pathway for generating preliminary data and testing novel hypotheses. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, reflecting the intent to fund smaller, focused projects rather than large, multi-year programs. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number is 93.866 (Aging Research). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduces the burden on applicants and allows institutions to propose projects without having to commit additional required funds.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations, reflecting NIH's interest in attracting interdisciplinary teams from academia, government, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants include private and public institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, nonprofits (including both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), and various units of government such as state, county, city/township, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also lists tribal organizations and tribal governments, including federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities, as eligible. Additional categories explicitly mentioned include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and regional organizations. Importantly, non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) are eligible to apply, as are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy, which can be significant for cross-national or comparative biodemographic research.
Key administrative details from the source information show the FOA was posted and created on January 13, 2012, with an original and current closing date of March 3, 2014, and an archive date of April 3, 2014. While those dates indicate the opportunity is archived and not currently open in its original form, the content is still useful as a guide to the kind of biodemography-of-aging research NIH has encouraged, and similar priorities may appear in later announcements or related NIH aging research programs. For applicants needing the full text or having access issues, the announcement points to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) and provides the OER webmaster contact (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV), along with a link to the full NIH guide page for PAR-12-079.
In practical terms, a competitive application under this FOA would typically propose a clearly defined, theory-driven question about aging and survival that benefits from combining demographic data and methods with biological measures, and that can produce meaningful insights into why aging-related frailty and mortality differ by sex and across populations. The strongest fit would be work that does more than describe patterns, aiming instead to test mechanisms and explanations rooted in evolutionary and life history perspectives, while leveraging modern demographic analytics and relevant biological indicators to move the field forward.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Biodemography of Aging (R21) - PAR-12-079
What is the Biodemography of Aging (R21) funding opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program that supports exploratory, early-stage research in biodemography of aging. The opportunity focuses on projects that blend demography with the life sciences to improve understanding of aging, senescence, frailty, mortality, and variation in health and longevity.
What is the main scientific goal of this FOA?
The central goal is to connect population-level patterns (such as differences in survival, disease risk, and lifespan across groups) with biological mechanisms and theory, creating a more complete explanation of why people age differently and why frailty and mortality accelerate in late life.
What does "biodemography" mean in the context of this announcement?
In this context, biodemography refers to research that integrates demographic approaches (population patterns, modeling, cohort analyses) with biological measures or life-science approaches to explain aging-related outcomes, including both lifespan and healthy life expectancy.
Which theoretical frameworks does the FOA emphasize?
The FOA highlights evolutionary and life history theory as guiding frameworks. Applicants are encouraged to base questions on established concepts such as trade-offs across the life course, reproductive strategies, survival, and how selection pressures and environments may shape aging and late-life outcomes.
What kinds of research topics are a strong fit?
Projects aimed at explaining aging, frailty, and mortality using integrated demographic and biological perspectives are a strong fit. The FOA is especially interested in work that goes beyond describing patterns and instead tests mechanisms and explanations rooted in evolutionary and life history perspectives.
What types of demographic methods are specifically relevant?
The scope explicitly includes demographic methods such as population modeling, longitudinal cohort analysis, mortality and hazard modeling, fertility-survival tradeoff analyses, and cross-population comparisons.
What kinds of biological or life-science measures are encouraged?
The FOA encourages biological measures and life-science approaches tied to aging processes, including biomarkers, genetics/genomics, physiology, immune function, and other mechanistic indicators relevant to aging.
Is the FOA focused only on lifespan, or also on health during aging?
It explicitly emphasizes both lifespan and healthy life expectancy. In other words, it is interested not only in how long people live, but also how long they live in relatively good health.
Does the FOA prioritize research on differences across groups?
Yes. A key theme is understanding individual- and population-level factors that underlie differences in late-life frailty and mortality, including sex differences and population differentials across groups such as racial/ethnic groups, regions, countries, and socioeconomic strata (or other populations with differing aging and mortality trajectories).
What NIH grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory and developmental projects that may be higher risk but potentially high impact, often supporting early testing of novel hypotheses and generation of preliminary data.
What is the maximum award amount listed for this FOA?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000, reflecting an intent to fund smaller, focused projects rather than large, multi-year programs.
What is the activity category and CFDA number?
The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number is 93.866 (Aging Research).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Which types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes private and public institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and nonprofits (including both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities).
Are government entities eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include various units of government such as state, county, city/township, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA includes tribal organizations and tribal governments as eligible, including federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA explicitly mentions Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and faith-based or community-based organizations among eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or regional organizations eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions and regional organizations are explicitly included as eligible categories.
Can non-U.S. (foreign) institutions apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) are eligible to apply. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations may also apply, and foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy.
Why might foreign eligibility matter for biodemography research?
The FOA highlights cross-population comparisons and population differentials (including across countries), and foreign eligibility can support cross-national or comparative biodemographic research.
When was this FOA posted, and what are the closing and archive dates?
The FOA was posted and created on January 13, 2012. The original and current closing date listed is March 3, 2014, and the archive date is April 3, 2014.
Is this opportunity currently open?
Based on the provided dates (closing date in 2014 and an archive date in 2014), this opportunity is archived and not currently open in its original form.
Is the archived FOA still useful?
Yes. Even though it is archived, it can still be useful as a guide to the types of biodemography-of-aging research NIH has encouraged, and similar priorities may appear in later announcements or related NIH aging research programs.
Where can someone go if they need help accessing the full announcement text?
The information provided points to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) and includes the OER webmaster contact email: FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV, along with a link to the full NIH guide page for PAR-12-079.
What would a competitive application typically look like under this FOA?
Based on the FOA description, a competitive application would typically propose a clearly defined, theory-driven question about aging and survival that benefits from combining demographic data and methods with biological measures, and that aims to generate insights into why aging-related frailty and mortality differ by sex and across populations.
Does the FOA encourage purely descriptive studies?
The description indicates the strongest fit is research that does more than describe patterns, aiming instead to test mechanisms and explanations grounded in evolutionary and life history perspectives while using modern demographic analytics and relevant biological indicators.
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Applicants also applied for:
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| Biodemography of Aging (R01) Apply for PAR 12 078 Funding Number: PAR 12 078 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Newborn Screening Technical Assistance and Data Repository Program Apply for HRSA 12 070 Funding Number: HRSA 12 070 Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Stamping Out and Preventing Gender Based Violence (STOP GBV) Access to Justice Program Apply for SOL 611 12 000003 Funding Number: SOL 611 12 000003 Agency: Zambia USAID Lusaka Category: Health Funding Amount: $3,300,000 |
| Stamping Out and Preventing Gender Based Violence (STOP GBV) Survivor Support Program Apply for SOL 611 12 000004 Funding Number: SOL 611 12 000004 Agency: Zambia USAID Lusaka Category: Health Funding Amount: $7,900,000 |
| Increasing the Capacity of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica to Expand Coordinated HIV Prevention, Strategic Information, and Laboratory Programs under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Apply for CDC RFA GH12 1203 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH12 1203 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Increasing The Capacity Of The Government Of The Barbados To Expand Coordinated HIV Prevention, Strategic Information, And Laboratory Programs Under The Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Apply for CDC RFA GH12 1204 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH12 1204 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $590,000 |
| Center of Excellence for Comprehensive Integrated HIV Care and Treatment Services in Lilongwe, Malawi Apply for CDC RFA GH12 1249 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH12 1249 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Supporting the National Blood Safety Program (NBSP) in the Implementation and Expansion of Blood Safety Activities in the Republic of Haiti under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Apply for CDC RFA GH12 1251 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH12 1251 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Targeting Inflammation and Immune Activation in HIV Disease (U01) Apply for RFA AI 12 007 Funding Number: RFA AI 12 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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