The overarching objective of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to develop and strengthen animal models for behavioral and social research in the interest of furthering the mechanistic understanding of how social and physical environmental factors contribute to aging processes and the etiology and progression of age-related conditions and diseases. With the explicit two-fold goal of identifying socio-environmental sources of aging processes and advancing the integration of behavioral, social, and environmental measures into biological hallmarks of aging, this FOA invites R61/R33 phased innovation applications that propose to develop and test behavioral and social methods, tools, and measures in: (1) research on the natural history of aging in populations of wild animals to increase the understanding of the complex interplay of social and environmental factors which affect individual differences in aging trajectories and health outcomes; and (2) basic and applied research in captive animals that can improve the validity and value of animal models for basic and translational research.
Funded projects will receive up to two years of R61 support for initial developmental, proof-of-concept activities, and up to three years of R33 research to support implementation. Projects may involve primary or secondary analysis of data collected in animals from well-characterized wild populations, captive populations, or both.
Deadlines:
- Letter of Intent Due Date(s): September 20, 2021
- Application Due Date(s): October 20, 2021
RFA-AG-22-015 Expiration Date October 21, 2021