Frequently Asked Questions

Submit questions through the FAQ portal. Do not include protected health information (PHI) or proprietary details in your question.

Contact aitcc@yale.edu for technical help with the AITC Grant Portal.

New and updated answers will be flagged. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows the most recent time any part of the FAQ changed. Each new or revised question also shows its own date, so you can see exactly which answers changed and when.

If you can’t reach the AITC website (aitcc.ai) or the Grant Platform (grants.aitcc.ai) from a work, school, or other managed network, your organization’s security software is most likely blocking it.

• Contact your IT help desk. Ask them to allowlist aitcc.ai and all of its subdomains (*.aitcc.ai), including grants.aitcc.ai.
• Use a different network, such as a home network or mobile data, if your organization allows it.
• Check access early. Confirm you can reach the AITC Grant Platform well before the LOI deadline so there is time to resolve a block.

We cannot remove blocks set by your organization, including blocks on .ai domains, new website domains, or AI-related content. Only your IT staff can change those settings.

When you sign up, we email you a link from no-reply@aitcc.ai to confirm your account. The link works once and expires in 7 days.

If you don’t see the email:

• Check your junk, spam, or quarantine folder (see FAQ Q6).
• Make sure you entered your email address correctly.
• Request a new link if yours has expired or has already been used.

If you still don’t receive it, contact aitcc@yale.edu.

Emails come from aitcc@yale.edu and no-reply@aitcc.ai. If you aren’t receiving them:

• Check your junk, spam, or quarantine folder.
• Add aitcc@yale.edu and no-reply@aitcc.ai to your safe senders list.
• Ask your IT office to allow email from aitcc.ai. Some organizations block or quarantine email from new domains.

If you still aren’t receiving emails, contact aitcc@yale.edu, from a different email address if possible.

Research projects that use artificial intelligence (AI) and technology to improve the health and well-being of older adults, including people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), and their caregivers. Projects are welcome across all of NIA’s scientific areas: aging biology, neuroscience, geriatrics and clinical gerontology, and behavioral and social research. At least 80% of research funds go to AD/ADRD projects. See Scope in the RFA.

Possibly. The topics in the RFA are examples, not a complete list. Review each AITC’s priority topics in Section 03 of the RFA (Participating AITCs) and choose the closest match. If you’re still unsure whether your topic fits, you may contact an AITC (see FAQ A2).

Five AITCs fund projects through this competition. The AITC Coordinating Center (AITCC) provides a single AITC Grant Platform for submitting applications. Each AITC reviews and selects projects for funding, and NIA approves each award.

There are two stages: a required letter of intent (LOI), then a full application by invitation only. See how the competition works in the RFA.

Yes. You must submit an LOI to be considered. Each AITC reviews its assigned LOIs and selects which applicants are invited to submit a full application.

See Key dates in the RFA. Projects are expected to begin in summer 2027, pending NIA approval.

We expect to make approximately 60 Non-Clinical Trial research awards across all AITCs this cycle. Each AITC may also fund up to one Clinical Trial research project, for a total of up to five. Final numbers depend on available funds and on the number and quality of applications received.

Non-Clinical Trial research projects may request up to $200,000 in direct costs, and Clinical Trial research projects up to $300,000, over a project period of up to 24 months. Indirect costs are in addition to these limits. See FAQ B1.

It is a grant. The AITC does not take equity or ownership in your organization or project.

Applicants from outside the selected AITC’s institution are funded through a subaward. Internal applicants at the AITC’s own institution are funded through an internal award. Subawards may be cost-reimbursable for costs incurred or fixed price, depending on the AITC institution issuing them. Your AITC will tell you which applies (see FAQ T2).

Startups and companies that collaborate with an academic institution need an intellectual property agreement with that institution before the award can be executed (see FAQ D3).

Eligible U.S. organizations include colleges, universities, medical or nursing schools, health care systems or settings, and other organizations, including for-profit corporations and startups, nonprofits, and state, local, tribal, and eligible federal government entities.

The applicant organization must have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) number (opens on another site) by the time of award. Getting a UEI does not require full SAM.gov registration. It can take several weeks or more if SAM.gov asks for documents to validate your organization, so start early.

Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources to carry out the proposed project may serve as PI. Your organization must allow you to serve as PI and agree to submit and administer the award. Before you submit, confirm this with the office or person who handles grants for your organization. At a university or health system, that’s usually the sponsored programs office. At a company, it may be a grants manager, finance lead, or company officer.

Project teams may include people with experience in industry, academia, health care, and other settings. We encourage teams to include at least one person with experience in the NIH application and funding process. If the project involves human subjects, include someone who has worked through the IRB process.

Yes. Each project must name a contact PI, who must be affiliated with the applicant organization, not a subaward organization. Investigators from subaward organizations may serve as additional PIs. For definitions of PI, multiple PI, and co-investigator, see the NIH Grants Glossary (opens on another site).

Yes. Your LOI should explain how the new project differs from what was funded, such as new aims, a new stage of development, or broader testing. Proposed projects that substantially overlap with the applicant’s prior work funded through the AITC program, including a2 pilot awards, are not eligible.

Yes, if the proposed project does not overlap with work already funded by NIH or another source. NIH policy prohibits scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap. This applies to all prior support, including research project grants, pilot awards, career development awards, and SBIR or STTR awards.

NIH SBIR and STTR. Projects that propose incremental enhancements, new indications, or new patient populations for a technology already supported by NIH SBIR or STTR funding are not eligible. This restriction does not apply to SBIR or STTR awards from other agencies, but the NIH overlap policy still applies to those awards.

Existing collaborations. Existing collaborations with universities, companies, or other funders do not, by themselves, make a project ineligible, if the work proposed here is not already funded by another source.

Examples:

• Eligible: a company with an NIH SBIR award for a fall-detection sensor proposes a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool for medication adherence that doesn’t use the sensor.
• Not eligible: the same company proposes adapting its NIH SBIR-funded sensor for people living with dementia. That is a new patient population for NIH SBIR-funded technology.
• Not eligible: the same company incorporates AI-capabilities for fall detection using the sensor. This is incremental enhancement to NIH SBIR/STTR-funded technology.
• Eligible, but the new project must be distinct: an investigator with an NIH research project grant (R01) on sleep and cognition proposes building a tool from those findings. The new project must have its own aims, and no costs or effort can be shared with R01.

Pending applications. You may apply while a related application is under review elsewhere (see FAQ E14). If that application is funded, tell your selected AITC promptly and either resolve the overlap or withdraw from this competition.

The AITC and the NIA make the final overlap determination during review.

Yes, if the projects do not overlap and the PI’s total effort across all commitments does not exceed 100%.

Older adults typically include individuals aged 65 years and over. However, depending on the issue under study, use of an age range that begins younger (e.g., age 50 or 55) or is limited to the oldest old (e.g., age 80 and above), may be appropriate. Explain your choice in your application.

Yes, for-profit companies and non-academic organizations that meet the eligibility criteria can apply.

No. Team members and work sites can be anywhere in the United States or U.S. territories. You don’t need to be located near the AITC you select.

• The contact PI must be affiliated with the organization listed in the application.
• All project work must take place in the United States or U.S. territories (see FAQ H4).
• Budgets may not include subawards to foreign organizations, and the project may not include a foreign component, even if unfunded. Consultation from outside the U.S. may be allowed if the consultant does not perform a significant part of the project.
• If your project recruits participants, your LOI must name the recruiting sites and their expected capacity.

The following are not eligible:

• Projects focused solely on market research, such as focus groups or surveys
• Drug discovery, development, or target identification, except bioinformatics-based approaches
• Incremental enhancements, new indications, or new patient populations for technologies or platforms already supported by NIH SBIR or STTR funding (see FAQ E6)
• Substantially similar or overlapping applications submitted to more than one AITC (see FAQ A3)
• Projects that substantially overlap with work already funded by an AITC, including prior a2 pilot awards (see FAQ E5)

User testing with older adults, caregivers, or clinicians as part of developing your technology is allowed. It is not market research.

See Section 05 (Eligibility) of the RFA.

Eligibility to serve as principal investigator (PI) is set by your organization. If your organization allows you to serve as PI on federal grants, and if it will administer the award, you may apply. Check with your sponsored programs office before you submit.

Eligibility to serve as principal investigator (PI) is set by your organization. If your organization allows you to serve as PI on federal grants, and if it will submit and administer the award, you may apply. Check with your sponsored programs office before you submit. (see FAQ E3)

Yes. If the other application is funded and creates overlap, you must inform your selected AITC promptly and either resolve the overlap or withdraw the proposed project (see FAQ E6).

An eRA Commons account is not needed to submit an LOI or full application.

However, every PI must have an eRA Commons account before NIA can approve funding. If your organization is not registered in eRA Commons, start early. Registration and account setup can take several weeks and may delay your award.

Yes. Being at the same institution as an AITC does not by itself create a conflict of interest.

Yes. NIH does not require U.S. citizenship for research awards. You must be employed by an eligible U.S. organization, and your organization must confirm you can serve as PI. This includes visa holders such as J-1 or H-1B. Check with your sponsored programs office before you submit (see FAQ E3).

Awards are made to organizations, not individuals. Apply through the organization where you will conduct the project.

• LOI: If you expect to move before the project starts, list the institution where you will do the work and note the planned move in your LOI. Notify your selected AITC as early as possible.
• Full application: Submit through the organization where you will conduct the project. That organization’s sponsored programs office must approve the application.
• After selection: A change of institution requires approval from your AITC and NIA and may delay or affect the award.

1. Review each AITC’s priority topics in Section 03 of the RFA (Participating AITCs).
2. Review each AITC’s website:
   • Duke AITC-AIGE (opens on another site)
   • Johns Hopkins AITC (opens on another site)
   • Stanford University AITC (opens on another site)
   • APEX-ADRD Collaboratory (opens on another site) (UCLA)
   • MassAITC (opens on another site)
3. Attend or watch the recording from the LOI Informational Webinar (11/03/26).

AITC contact is not required. Start by reviewing each AITC’s priority topics (see FAQ A1). If you have a question that is not addressed in the existing resources, you may contact an AITC for additional information.

If you plan to use specific AITC resources, such as cores, facilities, datasets, or study populations, contact that AITC well before you submit. Do not list AITC resources in your application without confirming their availability, cost, and whether team members from the AITC’s institution are required to facilitate resource access (see FAQ B6).

No. Each project can be submitted to only one AITC, and that choice cannot be changed after submission.

Overlapping LOIs will be disqualified from the competition. You may submit separate LOIs for distinct projects to the same AITC or different AITCs.

Review each AITC’s priorities and resources in Section 03 of the RFA, its website, and the LOI Informational Webinar (see FAQ A1). Choose the AITC whose focus and resources best match your project. If you’re still unsure, you may contact the AITCs you’re considering (see FAQ A2). You may submit each project to only one AITC, and you can’t change your choice after submission.

All projects are research projects, in one of two types.

• Non-Clinical Trial: projects that do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial. Up to $200,000 in direct costs over up to 24 months.
• Clinical Trial: projects that meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial. Up to $300,000 in direct costs over up to 24 months.

See Section 04 of the RFA (Award Types).

Use the NIH Clinical Trial decision tool (opens on another site).

Under the NIH definition, a study is a clinical trial if participants are assigned to an intervention to evaluate its effect on a health-related biomedical or behavioral outcome. This applies even if all participants receive the same intervention, such as using a device or software. Usability and feasibility testing that does not measure a health outcome is not a clinical trial.

Yes, AI or technology must be a core part of the project. Projects may develop new technology, adapt or combine existing technology, or test AI or technology solutions with older adults, caregivers, or clinicians.

Non-Clinical Trial projects may be at any stage of development, from early concept to prototype to technology ready for real-world use. Clinical Trial projects must use technology that is ready to be tested. In your LOI project statement, describe your technology’s current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and where you expect it to be at the end of the project (see FAQ L2).

No. A full business plan is not required. You do need to briefly describe a credible path to translation.

Examples:

• Commercialization, such as a product, license, or new company
• Adoption in care settings, such as a health system or community program
• Open resources for research, such as shared tools, data, or code
• Follow-on funding, such as an NIH R01 or SBIR application

In your LOI, describe your path to translation in the project statement (see FAQ L2). In your full application, reviewers score it as part of Importance of the Research (see FAQ R2).

No, the listed budget limit is the ceiling for direct costs. Indirect costs are budgeted separately and may be included in the application budget.

SBIR/STTR rates and policies do not apply to this program.

See RFA: Overview: Funding

• If your organization has a federally negotiated facilities and administrative (F&A) rate, use that rate.
• If your organization does not have a negotiated rate, you may request the de minimis rate of 10%. Some costs, such as equipment, are excluded from indirect costs. See modified total direct costs (MTDC) (opens on another site).

Costs must be allowable under the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9 (opens on another site). If anything below differs from current NIH policy, NIH policy applies.

The examples below are a starting point for applicants new to NIH budgets. They are not a complete list. Each cost must be reasonable, necessary for the project, and justified in your budget.

Allowable costs include:

• Personnel, including investigator salary, up to the NIH salary cap (see FAQ B4)
• Services and consultants
• Equipment and supplies
• Software, cloud computing, and data storage used specifically for the project
• Fees for AITC resources (see FAQ B6)
• Institutional review board (IRB) fees (see FAQ B7)
• Travel for one PI to attend the annual AITC Symposium (see FAQ B8)
• Study participant compensation
• Stakeholder-related activities (see FAQ B10)
• Publication costs

Unallowable costs include:

• Travel to scientific meetings or conferences, other than the AITC Symposium
• Meals, except during data collection or participant sessions such as focus groups
• Costs incurred before the award agreement is executed (see FAQ T2)

Yes. Salaries charged to the award may not exceed the NIH salary cap, which is updated each year. See the NIH Salary Cap Summary (opens on another site) for the current amount.

For definitions and how to classify budget items, see:

• NIH Grants Policy Statement 7.3, Direct Costs and Indirect Costs (opens on another site)
• Your organization’s sponsored programs office or grants manager

Yes, if you plan to use AITC datasets, facilities, or services that carry a cost. Costs for these resources are usually not published, so contact your selected AITC to get them before you finalize your budget (see FAQ A2).

Yes. Non-exempt human subjects research requires IRB review and IRB fees, if applicable, should be included in your budget. (see FAQ H1)

Yes.

All projects should include a budget for domestic travel for one PI to attend the annual AITC Symposium in person. Dates and location will be announced as soon as possible. Travel costs must comply with the rates published by GSA (opens on another site).

Yes. Budget effort for project staff who handle study-specific tasks, such as IRB submissions and ClinicalTrials.gov registration (see FAQ H5). At some organizations, these costs are covered by indirect costs. Check with your sponsored programs office.

Input from older adults, caregivers, clinicians, and others who will use or be affected by your technology helps ensure that the proposed project meets real needs and is relevant in practice. Stakeholders can also help you explain your findings to the public.

Examples of stakeholder activities include but are not limited to:

• Providing input into the development of resources and best practices for the use of AI and technologies in research related to aging and ADRD
• Participating in focus groups to provide end user feedback about the incorporation of AI and technologies in aging and ADRD research

There is no required budget line for stakeholder engagement.

If your project asks stakeholders to give input on your technology or study, plan to compensate them for their time. Compensation may be monetary or non-monetary (e.g. meals, travel reimbursement). Include any costs in your budget. (see FAQ B3)

Awardees are also expected to take part in stakeholder engagement activities led by the AITCC. These activities have no cost to your project but require an estimated 1-2 hours per month from the PI or a designated team member over the project period. Plan for this time in your project.

Yes. The LOI asks for an estimate. Your full application budget may differ within the limits set for your award type.

Classify each budget item following the NIH policy on direct and indirect costs (opens on another site). Each applicant is responsible for making sure its budget complies. NIA reviews finalist budgets before approving awards.

• Forms: Budget templates and instructions come with your invitation to submit a full application (see FAQ F1).
• Multiple institutions: Each participating institution provides its own detailed budget and budget justification. Combine them into one submission.
• What counts toward the cap: The $200,000 or $300,000 limit covers direct costs for all institutions, including collaborators’ direct costs. Indirect costs for all institutions, including collaborators’ indirect costs, are excluded from the limit. (see FAQ B1)
• Budget justification: Justify each category that applies, including personnel, equipment, travel, participant costs, and other direct costs. Explain any costs excluded from your indirect cost base.
• Other support: If the project uses other funds or in-kind support, briefly describe how they complement this award.

Submit through the AITCC Grant Portal at grants.aitcc.ai/opportunities/AITC-ARA-27-001 (opens on another site). Allow time for potential portal delays before the deadline.

You will submit the LOI in the AITC Grant Platform (see FAQ L1). You can save your work and return to finish it.

The Grant Platform includes:

• Award Information: type (non-clinical trial/clinical trial), primary focus (AD/ADRD or aging), and primary AITC (one only and cannot be changed after submission; see FAQ A3)
• PI and organization: name, degrees, and email.
• Organization: Name, type, and state or U.S. territory.
• Eligibility screen: whether any work will take place outside the U.S.
• Project information: title, keywords, project period (6 to 24 months), and estimated direct costs.
• Human subjects: whether the project involves human subjects and will recruit participants (see FAQ A6).
• Key personnel: name, degrees, organization (see FAQ L5).
• Other funding and overlap: related active or pending funding, prior NIH SBIR or STTR funding for the technology, and prior AITC funding (see FAQs E5 and E6).
• Document upload:
  1. Project statement,
  2. Biosketch, CV, or resume for the PI and each key person (see FAQ L4).
• Demographics and feedback (optional): used only for program evaluation.

Project statement (2 pages; see FAQ L3 for format) which describes:

• The problem and its relevance to aging or Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD)
• Your artificial intelligence (AI) or technology approach and its current Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
• Aims and expected outcomes
• Your path to translation, such as commercialization, adoption, or follow-on funding
• For projects that recruit participants: recruiting sites and expected capacity
• For Clinical Trial projects: population, intervention, primary outcome, and planned sample size, plus the status of any required U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational device exemption (IDE) or investigational new drug (IND) application

Please Note: Clearly separate your past work, the current state of your technology, the work this award will fund, and your longer-term plans. Reviewers need to see exactly what this project will accomplish.

Two pages maximum. Follow NIH format requirements (opens on another site): font size 11 points or larger (Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Palatino Linotype recommended), no more than six lines per vertical inch, and margins of at least 0.5 inch on all sides of a standard 8.5 x 11-inch page. The bibliography does not count toward the page limit.

Do not include links to websites, videos, or other outside material, except in citations. Reviewers will not follow links, and content behind a link does not count as part of your LOI.

Biosketches are used to confirm the team can carry out the project.

For the LOI, upload an NIH biosketch, curriculum vitae (CV), or resume for the PI and each key person. For the LOI, any format is accepted, including the previous NIH biosketch format. Each document may be up to 5 pages.

If you are invited to submit a full application, a biosketch in the current NIH format (opens on another site) will be required.

Key personnel are individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of the project in a substantive, measurable way. They commit specific effort, measured in person-months. This typically includes co-investigators and may include consultants or collaborators with a defined scientific role. Staff in support roles, such as research coordinators or administrative staff, usually are not key personnel.

The LOI requires a biosketch, CV, or resume for the PI and each key person (see FAQ L4).

Yes, if each LOI describes a distinct project.

Each LOI must not substantially overlap with:

• Other LOIs you submitted in this cycle to any AITC
• Work previously funded by AITC, including a2 pilot awards
• Technologies or platforms already supported by NIH SBIR or STTR funding, if the project is an incremental enhancement, new indication, or new patient population.

See Section 05 (Eligibility) and Section 06 (How the competition works) of the RFA.

Your application must follow the NIH policy on the appropriate use of AI for research applications (opens on another site). You are responsible for the accuracy and originality of everything you submit.

Describe your approach clearly enough for review, but do not include information you would normally protect with a non-disclosure agreement. (See FAQ L2)

No. Extensions are not granted, and late LOIs are not accepted. The AITC Grant Portal may slow down near the deadline because of high volume, so submit well before the due date.

LOIs are not scored. Your selected AITC reviews your LOI and decides whether to invite a full application based on:

• Eligibility and responsiveness to this RFA
• Fit with the AITC’s priority research areas and themes
• Relevance to aging or AD/ADRD
• AI or technology as a core part of the project
• Scientific approach
• Significance and innovation
• Feasibility within the budget and project period

AITCs do not provide feedback or scores on LOIs. See RFA Section 07: Letter of Intent.

Yes. However, resubmitting an unchanged project is unlikely to succeed.

Before you reapply, review this RFA and the AITC priorities carefully, and consider how to strengthen your project or match it more closely to an AITC. You may contact an AITC with questions (see FAQ A2).

Invited applicants will receive the Full Application Instructions, including templates, page limits, and the scoring rubric, with their invitation. See RFA: Overview: Key dates.

The full application can expand or refine your LOI, but it must describe the same project. Discuss any major changes in scope, budget, or collaborators with your AITC first.

No. Letters of collaboration are optional and may be included with the full application only. Do not include letters with your LOI.

A letter of collaboration should describe a specific commitment to the project, such as:

• Participating as a collaborating organization or investigator
• Serving as a recruitment site or clinical partner
• Providing data, technology, or other resources

Letters should state what the collaborator will provide. They should not endorse the applicant or comment on the quality of the project. Letters do not count toward page limits. A letter from an AITC reviewer may create a conflict of interest that affects review of your application.

Scientific reviewers are assigned by the AITC, using criteria shared across all five AITCs. The AITC-Coordinating Center (AITCC) provides the Grant platform.

The criteria are adapted from the NIH Simplified Peer Review Framework (opens on another site): importance of the research, rigor and feasibility, and expertise and resources. See Review Criteria in the RFA.

A finalist is a project selected by an AITC and recommended to NIA for funding. An awardee is a finalist approved by NIA. Funding begins once NIA approves the project and an award agreement is executed with the AITC’s institution.

You and the AITC work together to prepare the materials NIA requires, which usually takes more than one round of revisions. Plan for prompt responses during this period. If your AITC will issue a fixed-price subaward, you will prepare a fixed-price budget with milestones as part of these materials. The AITC then submits the project to NIA for approval. Begin preparing for IRB review once NIA approves the project, while the award agreement is prepared and executed.

IRB approval is required before any work involving human subjects begins. It is not required to receive funding or to start other project-related activities, such as protocol development.

IRB requirements vary by AITC and institution.

• All non-exempt human subjects research requires review by an institutional review board. Multi-site studies must use a single IRB (sIRB) record, as required by NIH policy. The IRB of record may be your institution’s IRB or an approved external IRB. Check with your AITC about which IRB it accepts.
• Exempt research may still need IRB review. Some institutions require their IRB to confirm the exemption before work begins.
• Projects you believe are not human subjects research may still need a review determination from an IRB. Some institutions require this for any project involving data or interactions with people.

Note: You should budget for IRB fees, if applicable, and allow time for the IRB approval in your project timeline.

IRB approval is not needed to submit an LOI or full application. Begin IRB preparation once NIA approves your project. See FAQ H1 for more information on IRB requirements.

Use the NIH Human Subjects Research Decision Tool (opens on another site) to determine if your project involves human subject research.

Organizations conducting non-exempt human subjects research must have an active Federalwide Assurance (opens on another site).

No. All human subjects research must take place in the United States or U.S. territories.

Projects that meet the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition of a clinical trial (opens on another site) (see FAQ A6) must:

• Have a data and safety monitoring plan (opens on another site)
• Register the trial on ClinicalTrials.gov and report results (opens on another site), as required by NIH policy
• Submit progress and safety reports through your selected AITC
• Get approval from the IRB your AITC identifies (see FAQ H1)
• Follow the NIH Stage Model (opens on another site), where applicable, for behavioral interventions, including those delivered by technology
• Complete Good Clinical Practice training (opens on another site) for investigators and staff

Your budget and timeline must account for these requirements.

If your project needs a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational device exemption (IDE) (opens on another site) or investigational new drug (IND) application (opens on another site), state its current status in your LOI (see FAQ L2). Plan your timeline so that any required FDA approval is in place before the work that depends on it begins.

Each AITC may fund up to one Clinical Trial project (see FAQ C7). See Section 04 (Award Types) of the RFA.

See RFA: Overview: Key dates. Funding begins once NIA approves the project and an award agreement is executed with the AITC’s institution. Work involving human subjects can begin once IRB approval is obtained.

Payment depends on your award agreement type, which is set by your AITC’s institution.

• Cost-reimbursable: You invoice the AITC’s institution for costs incurred, on a schedule your AITC sets, such as monthly or quarterly.
• Fixed price: Payments are tied to the deliverables or milestones in your agreement.

Your AITC will tell you which applies. In either case, do not incur costs you expect to be paid for until the agreement is executed.

The project period is between 6-24 months.

If you are not ready to begin the project within 4 months of a funding offer, the AITC reserves the right to withdraw its offer and award the funds to another project.

All awarded funds are expected to be spent by the end of the project period. Funds not spent by the end of the project period do not carry over and return to the AITC. You may request a no-cost extension of up to 12 months. Extensions are reviewed case by case and are not guaranteed, so you should plan for the project to finish within the approved project period.

Yes. Projects may run up to 24 months, but 6 months is the minimum.

Requests for a no-cost extension are reviewed case by case by the AITC and are not guaranteed. See FAQ T3.

Awards are funded by NIA and follow the NIH Grants Policy Statement (opens on another site), including its requirements for consortium agreements. Your AITC’s award agreement will include the applicable terms.

Full applications include a data management and sharing plan consistent with the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy (opens on another site). Awardees must follow their approved plan.

You may. A data use agreement (DUA) is usually required if your project uses data from an AITC, a collaborating institution, or another outside source. If you plan to use AITC datasets, contact the AITC before you submit (see FAQ A2). If your project is selected for funding, be prepared to put any required DUAs in place before the work that depends on the data begins. These agreements can take time to negotiate.

Under federal rules, awardee organizations generally may keep title to inventions they make, subject to NIH reporting requirements. An AITC institution may claim rights in work developed through substantial support and collaboration with the awardee organization. Describe any planned AITC support or collaboration in your full application so IP terms can be addressed early.

If your project involves more than one organization, including the AITC’s institution, raise any intellectual property issues with your AITC before you submit a full application. All issues, including any required intellectual property agreement, must be resolved before the award agreement is executed (see FAQ C9).