Eligible institutions must have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) number and include colleges, universities, medical or nursing schools, health care systems or settings, and other fiscally responsible organizations, including for-profit corporations and startups, nonprofits, and eligible government entities within the United States. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) branches of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
Applications that propose either incremental enhancements or new indications/patient populations for technologies/platforms that have been supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding are not eligible for funding in the fifth annual a2 Pilot Awards competition (note this restriction does not apply to non-NIH SBIR/STTR awards).
Projects may include foreign components, as defined in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants Policy Statement, provided they receive foreign clearance from NIH. For example, U.S.-based organizations (including U.S. branches of institutions with foreign headquarters) are eligible to apply but must receive foreign clearance for any work conducted in collaboration with or at a foreign site. Note that in the case of collaborations between U.S.-based and foreign organizations, the prime applicant must be a U.S.-based organization and any foreign organizations may be included as subcontracts. In all cases, the contact principal investigator (PI) must be affiliated with the U.S.-based prime applicant organization; additional individuals from subcontract organizations may serve as multiple principal investigators (MPIs).
Details about any foreign components must be included in the project application. Applicants are advised to specify to the AITC the work to be conducted via foreign components as early as possible because policies on institutional review board approvals for work or data sharing conducted internationally vary across AITCs. If selected as a finalist, the NIH foreign clearance request will be initiated when the project is submitted to the National Institute on Aging (NIA) for review (following the selection of finalists after the a2 Pilot Awards Round 2 submission period).
You may apply provided your visa immigration status is acceptable and you are employed by a U.S. institution.
Collaborations between primary applicant organizations based in the United States and foreign institutions are allowed, provided they receive National Institutes of Health foreign clearance. For more information on projects with foreign components, see “What organizations are eligible to apply for a2 Pilot Awards?”
The project team and work sites may be located anywhere in the United States. Any foreign (non-U.S.) components require NIH foreign clearance. In all cases, the contact principal investigator (PI) must be affiliated with the U.S.-based prime applicant organization; additional individuals from subcontract organizations may serve as multiple principal investigators (MPIs).
A PI can be any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed project. Projects must identify a contact PI, who must be affiliated with the U.S.-based prime applicant organization (rather than a subcontract organization). Additional individuals from subcontract organizations may serve as multiple principal investigators (MPIs). All individuals serving as a PI or MPI must have an eRA Commons account prior to funding approval. If not already done, applicant PIs and MPIs are encouraged to begin the eRA Commons institution registration and account creation process to avoid funding delays. For more information about project roles, including PI, MPI, and co-investigator, see the NIH Grants Glossary.
PIs and project teams may include individuals with varied experience in industry, academia, health care, and other settings. Applicants are encouraged to include in their project team at least one individual with previous experience with National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant application and funding processes, as well as with navigating the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process if the proposed project involves human subjects research. Applicants from populations that are underrepresented in the artificial intelligence (AI) and technology fields as well as individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply for funding.
Yes. The application portal requires identification of a contact PI for the project, who must be affiliated with the prime applicant organization (rather than a subcontract organization). MPIs can be indicated in additional key personnel profiles within the application.
NIH policy prohibits overlapping support for the same research. Thus, applicants who have received previous NIH funding, such as Research Project Grants (RPGs), pilot funds, and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards, are only eligible to apply to the a2 Pilot Awards for projects and technologies that do not overlap with research for which they have previously received any support from NIH or other federal sources.
Applications that propose either incremental enhancements or new indications/patient populations for NIH SBIR/STTR-funded technologies/platforms are not eligible for funding in the fifth annual a2 Pilot Awards competition. Note this restriction does not apply to non-NIH SBIR/STTR awards, but NIH policy barring scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap still applies.
While final determination of whether a proposed project is sufficiently distinct from previously funded work is made during AITC and National Institute on Aging review, the a2 Collective Coordinating Center can provide preliminary overlap consultation upon request. Contact support@a2collective.ai to request this service.
Applicants who have a pending application for funding that would overlap with the proposed project if awarded are eligible to apply, but must promptly disclose any overlap that arises due to another award and either withdraw from the a2 Pilot Awards competition or resolve overlap between the relevant award and the proposed pilot project.
Existing collaborations and funding are not disqualifiers, as long as (1) the project has not received prior federal funding, (2) the portion of the research to be supported by a pilot award is not already funded by another source, and (3) all potential conflicts of interest relevant to any AITC institution that may arise from existing partnerships are reported in the application.
Applications that propose either incremental enhancements or new indications/patient populations for NIH SBIR/STTR-funded technologies/platforms are not eligible for funding in the fifth annual a2 Pilot Awards competition (note this restriction does not apply to non-NIH SBIR/STTR awards).
Yes. Applicants may apply to each a2 Pilot Awards competition regardless of prior application results and may submit applications for multiple unique pilot projects in a single competition. Note that simultaneous submission of overlapping pilot projects, whether to one AITC or to multiple AITCs, is not allowed. Violation of this policy will result in disqualification of one or more of the applications.
Applicants who applied previously are encouraged to address evaluator feedback in any subsequent project (re)submissions and seek consultation with the relevant AITC(s) as needed.
Yes, as long as no overlap exists between the projects and the PI’s overall effort across the projects and other commitments does not exceed 100 percent.
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.
