Mechanism-Focused Research to Promote Adherence to Healthful Behaviors to Prevent Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 21 207

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 207

This National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity, PAR-21-207, supports R01 grant applications for ancillary studies that focus on why people do or do not stick with health-related behavior changes that could help protect brain health and lower risk for cognitive decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimers disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). Rather than funding broad lifestyle interventions in general, the central emphasis is on the psychological and interpersonal mechanisms that drive adherence, meaning the underlying, modifiable factors that influence whether someone starts a behavior change, maintains it over time, or re-engages after lapses. The intent is to move beyond simply measuring whether an intervention worked and instead identify the key changeable targets that, if improved, would reliably strengthen adherence to behaviors thought to support cognitive health.

A strong application under this announcement would be designed to pinpoint malleable mechanistic targets such as motivational processes, self-regulation skills, habit formation, planning and goal-setting, self-efficacy, stress and coping, emotion regulation, perceived benefits and barriers, social support dynamics, relationship and caregiver influences, communication patterns, or other interpersonal factors that shape ongoing participation in healthy behaviors. The research is expected to clarify how these mechanisms operate and how changing them could improve long-term adherence, including the ability to sustain behavior change and to restart after interruption. Because the FOA is framed around adherence to healthful behaviors relevant to cognitive health, studies generally align with lifestyle or behavioral domains commonly linked to dementia risk reduction (for example physical activity, diet quality, sleep, cognitive and social engagement, management of cardiometabolic risk factors, or multi-domain behavior change), with the distinguishing feature being a mechanistic, adherence-centered research question.

This is an R01 mechanism, and clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose studies that are observational, experimental, or intervention-based as long as the work is structured to test or illuminate mechanisms tied to adherence. The FOA specifically calls for ancillary studies, which typically means the proposed work is designed to add mechanistic questions, measures, or experimental components onto an existing parent study, cohort, trial, or established research platform. In practice, that often involves leveraging existing recruitment pipelines, participant populations, data collection schedules, or intervention infrastructure while adding mechanistic assessments or targeted components that can reveal why adherence succeeds or fails.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and some non-U.S. entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits that are not small businesses); and other applicant types. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (foreign) organizations.

From the provided source details, the opportunity falls under the NIH health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.866. The original closing date shown is January 26, 2022, and the posting/creation date is April 6, 2021. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text, which usually means applicants would need to consult the full FOA for budget expectations, institute participation, and any limits or guidance on scope, duration, and allowable costs.

Overall, the grant is aimed at sharpening the science of behavior-change adherence for dementia prevention by identifying the specific psychological and interpersonal levers that can be pulled to help people keep doing the kinds of healthful behaviors that may preserve cognitive function. The practical payoff NIH is signaling here is better-designed interventions and implementation approaches that are built around tested mechanisms of adherence, making them more durable and effective in real-world settings over the long timelines that matter for cognitive aging and AD/ADRD risk.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mechanism-Focused Research to Promote Adherence to Healthful Behaviors to Prevent Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 21 207

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