Q. Do you need to be affiliated with the RCCN to submit an application?

A. Principal investigators must be affiliated with any of the 7 NIA Center programs as confirmed by statements from the directors of the relevant Center programs.

In general, NIA Center affiliation means either: 1. Having (partial) salary support through an NIA Center Program; or 2. Having previously received pilot funding, accessed Center data, used center cores, or received mentoring. Other forms of affiliation will also be considered.

Q. How many NIA center programs need to be included in an application?

A. Proposals must include investigators from at least 2 different NIA Center programs. Proposals can be submitted by two or more Center Program investigators at the same institution or Center Program investigators at different institutions.

Q. Am I eligible to apply if I have not attended an RCCN workshop?

A. Yes, you are eligible to apply if you are affiliated with an NIA center program even if you have not attended an RCCN workshop. Relevant topics for pilot proposals are exemplified by the themes of RCCN-sponsored workshops, but other topics relevant to the NIA center programs will also be considered. Materials are available from workshops including slides, a summary, and recordings of the presentations. You can access these materials here.

Q. Are clinical trials eligible?

A. Yes, small clinical trials are eligible under this mechanism.

Q. Can a postdoc/early career investigator be PI on this application?

A. Principal Investigators should have a faculty appointment. Investigators who do not yet have a faculty appointment can be a Co-Investigator on the grant.

Q: Am I eligible based on my affiliation with an NIA center that is not yet active, or will soon be inactive?

A: You are eligible if the center you are affiliated with has an active grant on the due date of the full application (June 1 or December 1). You are also eligible if you are at a Center with a no-cost extension.

Q. What criteria will be used to evaluate the application?

A. The following criteria are used to determine the merit of an application:

• Relevance of the proposed aims to the topic of the workshop;
• The significance and innovation of the proposed research or planning project and likelihood that it will develop into new on-going inter-center research collaborations;
• The feasibility of the proposed activities;
• Productivity of the investigators;
• Involvement of early career investigators;
• Participation of women and minorities.