Pilot Projects

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (2026)

DUE FEB 20, 2026

Applications can span more than 1 critical area. Given large differences in dementia rates by race, ethnicity, sex, and geography, and our limited understanding of these relationships, we encourage attention to one or more of these issues. We invite applications from new, emerging, and established dementia researchers. Interdisciplinary projects that include a dementia clinician and social scientist MPI team and encouraged, but not required.

Format of Proposals

Please include the following in your application:

• Cover page with title and principal investigator’s name that includes a project summary describing the significance of the proposed research. Indicate which critical area(s) the pilot proposal addresses.
• NIH biosketch for all key personnel.
• PHS 398 budget page and budget justification. Only one-year projects are allowed in this cycle.Foreign components are not allowed for pilot applications in this cycle.
• 3-page proposal covering specific aims, significance, innovation, and research design/methods.

Proposals using human subjects will need institutional IRB approval before funding is awarded.

Important: When calculating total requested budget, indirect costs (IDC) amount is part of the total budget and should be included on the budget form on the line that says “Consortium/Contractual Costs – Facilities and Administrative Costs.”

Investigators may request total (direct + indirect) costs of up to $40,000, using an IDC rate of 8% of modified total direct costs, as stipulated by NIA. Funds can be used for research assistance, salaries, travel, data acquisition, etc. When developing your budget, please include costs for 1 trip to present your work at the Gerontological Association of America (GSA). Principal Investigators must hold a PhD. We expect to make 4 awards.

Pilot grants will be issued as a subcontract through the PI’s home institution, with additional documents required before funds can be awarded as outlined in the Timetable section below.

Additional Requirements

• Subcontracts are not allowed.
• PIs must be affiliated with a U.S. university.

Submission Instructions

Please submit proposals as a single PDF file by February 20, 2026 at 5 pm to Jennifer Doiron at ebddp_network@umd.edu.

Timetable

• February 20, 2026: Proposals due to Jennifer Doiron at ebddp_network@umd.edu
• Week of March 2: Notification of decisions and request for additional documents, including a Subrecipient commitment form, completed NIH Face Page (Form Page 1), and IRB approval from the PI’s university’s IRB review board. These documents must be submitted by the PI’s office of sponsored research and be signed by an institutional official before an award can be made.
• May 15, 2026: Estimated earliest start date after receipt of IRB approval.

Duration of Pilot Projects: All pilot projects must be completed by April 30, 2027. A no-cost extension may be possible only if the Network receives an extension for its own award, but pilot PIs should not plan for one.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated for:

• The quality of the proposed research;
• Likelihood of advancing science in 1 of the 3 critical areas that are central to the Network’s aims;
• Likelihood that proposed work will result in NIA funding (e.g. K99/R00, K01/02/08/25, R03, R21, R01) within 2 years;
• Likelihood the research will yield important publications that advance our understanding of education and dementia.

New-to-the-field and early career investigators are especially encouraged to apply.

Expected Outcomes

PIs are required to:

• Present results from their pilot projects in a spring 2027 virtual webinar;
• Participate in a GSA symposium (if accepted) in November 2027;
• Participate in grant mentoring offered by the EdDem Network to enhance their competitiveness for external funding;
• Submit a written report upon completion of the project.

All publications, grant proposals, and grant funding stemming from the pilot project must be reported to the Network. All research resulting from the pilot grant must credit NIA grant R24AG077433 and must be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance for publication per NIH Public Access Policy (NOT-OD-25-101).

Scientific Questions? Please contact:

Sanjay Asthana, University of Wisconsin (sa@medicine.wisc.edu)
Pamela Herd, University of Michigan (pherd@umich.edu)
Katrina Walsemann, University of Maryland (kwalsema@umd.edu)

Administrative and Budget questions? Please contact:

Jennifer Doiron (ebddp_network@umd.edu)