Iqbal Farrukh and Asad Jamal Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center - Call for Proposals 2025
Iqbal Farrukh & Asad Jamal Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC)
Developmental Project for Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related disorders (AD/ADRD) ($150,000 over three years)
Deadline: September 8, 2025, 12pm (no extensions)
Amount of funding and budget information:
Under funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Farrukh-Jamal Stanford ADRC will support one developmental project in 2025. Applicants may request up to $150,000 in direct costs over a 3-year period (Y1 $50,000; Y2 $50,000; Y3: $50,000). The budget period is anticipated to begin on or after 10/27/2025.
Funding for this project is non-transferrable to other institutions.
Eligibility:
All Stanford faculty (UTL, UML, NTL-Research, CE) are eligible. However, awards are intended to support early career faculty investigators or more senior faculty investigators whose current research lies outside of the AD/ADRD field. Senior postdoctoral fellows or instructors transitioning to an academic position (or the equivalent) are also eligible. The proposed research should enable development of preliminary data and future application for independent support. You do not have to submit your applications through your RPM.
Senior ADRC faculty are not eligible to submit applications but may be included as unfunded collaborators.
Prior Stanford ADRC Developmental, Pilot, Scully, or Zaffaroni project awardees are NOT eligible to apply.
Note: Although a PI waiver will be required for a non-faculty applicant who is awarded funding, it is not required for the application submission. A PI waiver would need to be approved by the appropriate school or Dean of Research. For School of Medicine PIs, requests must be made to the Research Management Group (RMG). For PIs outside of the school of Medicine, the individual must work with their school’s Dean’s office. Senior postdoctoral fellows on an academic trajectory can apply as PI if the Co-PI is a faculty advisor/mentor who will be responsible for all oversight, budget and reporting requirements of the project.
Purpose:
The Stanford ADRC focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, and healthy cognitive aging. Proposals should describe innovative basic, clinical, behavioral, translational, epidemiologic, caregiving, or educational research likely to advance the understanding of the basic and clinical underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive disorders (including Lewy body neurocognitive disorders); aid in prevention or treatment; or enhance caregiving, community outreach and education.
Preference will be given to proposals that use data and resources derived from the Stanford ADRC, including clinical data; biological specimens (e.g., blood, urine, DNA, CSF, stool microbiome, skin fibroblasts, autopsy tissues), imaging data (including structural MR and amyloid-PET), omics data (genetics, plasma/CSF proteomics) and biostatistical resources; or that use data and resources of the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center (NACC) (https://www.alz.washington.edu/), National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s disease (NCRAD) (https://ncrad.iu.edu/), Standardized Centralized Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Neuroimaging (SCAN) (https://scan.naccdata.org), and the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s disease Data Storage (NIAGADS), (https://www.niagads.org/). Requests through the Stanford ADRC data portal can provide a guide to available data. ADRC faculty and staff are available to assist in use and interpretation of Center data, specimens, and tissues, and to assist in the preparation of new research proposals. Applicants are encouraged to contact senior ADRC faculty with questions about types and availability of ADRC data and resources; Drs. Nusha Askari or Michael Greicius can help refer your questions to the appropriate faculty member.
**Please be sure to address the type of ADRC resources requested and how such resources will be used.
This funding mechanism is intended to allow an investigator the opportunity to develop robust preliminary data sufficient for an application for independent research support from the NIH or other funding sources. Developmental project grants are designed for 1) junior faculty level investigators and 2) for more senior investigators who have experience in areas other than Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body research, and who intend to work in the Alzheimer research field broadly defined or want to try a new hypothesis, method, or approach that is not an extension of ongoing body of research focused on Alzheimer’s disease or an Alzheimer’s disease related disorder.
The Developmental Project awardee will be asked to provide an annual progress report and a more comprehensive final report due within 60 days of funding completion. Release of second year funding and third year funding will be contingent on satisfactory progress during the preceding year. The final report will include publications, research presentations, and planned publications, as well as plans for follow-up studies and grant applications derived from developmental research findings. The Project PI will be asked to present findings to ADRC faculty and to members of the ADRC Community Advisory Board.
Contact/Questions:
Programmatic questions should be directed to Dr. Michael Greicius, chair of the Developmental Project Review Committee (greicius@stanford.edu) and administrative questions to Nusha Askari (askarin@stanford.edu), Executive Director of the ADRC.
If selected and funded:
Funding is contingent upon NIA approval and funding, receipt of all required documents and protocols, and verification of approved protocols, to be submitted to Nusha Askari at the ADRC at askarin@stanford.edu. An annual report and final progress report in NIH format will also be due to Nusha Askari. An annual presentation to the ADRC team and presentation of progress is required, usually at the time of the annual site visit of the ADRC External Advisory Committee.
The goal is to bring in junior faculty and senior faculty not currently working in AD/ADRD research, and our review process prioritizes these groups. We will consider other applicants as well, depending on the number of quality applications we receive.
Note: the release of funds after selection is contingent upon formal approval of the National Institute on Aging and verification by ADRC of the recipient's human subject, SCRO, and animal subject approvals and compliance with other administrative issues.
For any non-faculty awardees, before funding can be released, as per Stanford policy, we will require a letter of support from the faculty mentor or department chair who will have oversight of expenditures via Stanford's system.
- Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive disorders (including Lewy body neurocognitive disorders)
- basic, clinical, behavioral, translational, epidemiologic, caregiving, or educational research
- Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, and healthy aging
All Stanford faculty (UTL, UML, NTL-Research, CE). Awards are intended primarily for junior faculty investigators, but senior faculty investigators whose research is primarily in areas other than AD/ADRD are eligible, as are senior postdoctoral fellows or instructors transitioning to an academic position (or the equivalent). Individuals from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research, as well as individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. The expectation is that proposed research will allow the investigator to develop preliminary data sufficient for the basis of an application for independent support. An investigator is eligible only once for development project support. You do not have to submit your applications through your RPM.
Senior ADRC faculty are not eligible to submit applications but may be included as unfunded collaborators.
Note: a PI waiver will be required for non-faculty successful applicants. PI waivers would need to be approved by the appropriate schools or Dean of Research. For School of Medicine PIs, requests must be made to the Research Management Group (RMG). For PIs outside of the school of Medicine, the individual must work with their school dean’s office. Postdoctoral fellows in senior, academic trajectory can apply as PI if Co-PI is faculty advisor/mentor who is UTL, UML, NTL-Research, CE) who will in turn be responsible for all oversight, budget and reporting requirements of the project.
By 12pm September 8, 2025, please submit one PDF file containing the following in the order listed below via email to: Nusha Askari, Stanford ARDC, askarin@stanford.edu.
- Title page
Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Developmental Projects 2025
Project Title:
Project Leader Name, Title, department, address, phone number, email
Co-Investigator(s): Name, Title, department, address, phone number, email
- Project summary or abstract
Include project title (up to 30 lines)
- Research proposal
Specific Aims and Research Strategy (consisting of Significance, Innovation, and Approach), together limited to 3 pages, including any tables and figures. Bibliography/References (does not count against the 3-page limit). Use standard NIH page formatting. See above regarding citing how and what ADRC resources will be used.
Note: if human participants will be recruited outside of the ADRC pool, an HSS planned and targeted Enrollment table will be required. Please reach out to Nusha Askari at askarin@stanford.edu to obtain further information.
- Detailed budget
Up to $150,000in direct costs, Y6 (2025) $50K, Y7 (2026) $50K, Y8 (2027) $50K, pending satisfactory progress in first year, Y6). Budget period: 10/27/25 to 10/27/28 (or other 1-3year period as appropriate, pending NIA funding).
Please note: you do not have to have your RPM prepare your budget now, but if approved we will need to submit an official budget to the NIH at the end of October 2025 (we will be in contact with chosen awardees, please be mindful of a quick turnaround period if selected, the ADRC will submit the budget through our RMG officer).
-
Budget justification (1 page, NIH format)
- NIH-format biosketch for the project leader and co-investigators
For a template and sample biosketch see this NIH webpage: (see new changes in effect for January 2022)
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.html https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-073.html https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-110.html
- Other support (NIH format) for project leader and co-investigators
Please include both active and pending support – follow new NIH guidelines: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/othersupport.html
Selection process:
The Stanford ADRC Developmental Project Review Committee will review and recommend action on all Developmental Project applications. You will receive a notification of selection by late October 2025, though official funding notice is pending NIA approval and funding, which will likely come later.
Note: the release of funds after selection is contingent upon formal approval of the National Institute on Aging and verification by ADRC of the recipient's human subject, SCRO, and animal subject approvals and compliance with other administrative issues.
For any non-faculty awardees, before funding can be released, as per Stanford policy, we will require a letter of support from the faculty mentor or department chair who will have oversight of expenditures via Stanford's system.
Preference will be given to proposals that use data and resources derived from the Stanford ADRC, including clinical data; biological specimens (e.g., blood, urine, DNA, CSF, stool microbiome, skin fibroblasts, autopsy tissues), imaging data (including structural MR and amyloid-PET), omics data (genetics, plasma/CSF proteomics) and biostatistical resources; or that use data and resources of the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center (NACC) (https://www.alz.washington.edu/), National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s disease (NCRAD) (https://ncrad.iu.edu/), Standardized Centralized Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Neuroimaging (SCAN) (https://scan.naccdata.org), and the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s disease Data Storage (NIAGADS), (https://www.niagads.org/). Requests through the Stanford ADRC data portal can provide a guide to available data. ADRC faculty and staff are available to assist in use and interpretation of Center data, specimens, and tissues, and to assist in the preparation of new research proposals. Applicants are encouraged to contact senior ADRC faculty with questions about types and availability of ADRC data and resources; Drs. Nusha Askari or Michael Greicius can help refer your questions to the appropriate faculty member.
**Please be sure to address the type of ADRC resources requested and how such resources will be used.
This funding mechanism is intended to allow an investigator the opportunity to develop robust preliminary data sufficient for an application for independent research support from the NIH or other funding sources. Developmental project grants are designed for 1) junior faculty level investigators and 2) for more senior investigators who have experience in areas other than Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body research, and who intend to work in the Alzheimer research field broadly defined or want to try a new hypothesis, method, or approach that is not an extension of ongoing body of research focused on Alzheimer’s disease or an Alzheimer’s disease related disorder.
The Developmental Project awardee will be asked to provide an annual progress report and a more comprehensive final report due within 60 days of funding completion. Release of second year funding and third year funding will be contingent on satisfactory progress during the preceding year. The final report will include publications, research presentations, and planned publications, as well as plans for follow-up studies and grant applications derived from developmental research findings. The Project PI will be asked to present findings to ADRC faculty and to members of the ADRC Community Advisory Board and the External Advisory Committee, as needed.
