Applying for the 2024-2025 CeASES-ADRD Pilot Award

The Schaeffer Center, through the USC Center for Advancing Sociodemographic and Economic Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CeASES-ADRD), accepts applications to fund one-year research pilot projects.  Information about the application process and required materials is available here.

About the Opportunity

For the 2024-2025 funding cycle, we invite innovative proposals related to our research priorities:

  1. Health, social and economic costs of ADRD for individuals, families and generations
  2. Physician and individual behaviors impact on dementia risk and outcomes
  3. Health systems’ and payment models’ impact on care, health and economic outcomes
  4. Factors driving variation in ADRD risk and outcomes across populations
  5. International and national trends in and projections of ADRD

The award includes up to $55,000 in total costs for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Who Should Apply:

We encourage applications from scholars at all stages of their research career interested in social science research related to ADRD. We anticipate awarding 3 pilots based on the following criteria:

  • Quality of research and likelihood project will lead to National Institutes of Health funded study
  • Credentials of investigator relative to career stages
  • Relation to CeASES ADRD’s mission and themes

Application Process:

  • By COB Fall 2024, applicants must submit the following using our online form
  • Cover page including: Principal investigator name, institution, position, estimated total budget
  • Research Plan including: (1) specific aims; (2) significance; (3) Innovation; (4) Research Design/methods (max 3 pages, excluding references)
    – Research plan must specifically address how the findings from the pilot study contribute to future NIA grant submissions
  • Biographical Sketch for all investigators (format)
  • By January 2025 we will notify 5 finalists who will have the opportunity to respond to reviewer comments and resubmit to be considered for final selection
  • Finalists will submit:
    Revised Research Plan
    – Signed Face Page (PHS 398 form, FP1)
    – Detailed Budget (PHS 398 form, FP4) and Justification for Budget Period  
    – PHS 398 checklist
  • By Spring 2025 we will notify the final selected pilot projects
  • As soon as CeASES ADRD is notified by NIH of the Notice of Grant Award, all applicants will be notified of their award status.

About the CeASES-ADRD Program

CeASES-ADRD is an interdisciplinary research center launched in 2020 by USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Texas Population Research Center and Stanford Health Policy.  Our mission is to advance innovative social science research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), increase and diversify the number of researchers working in the field, and disseminate findings for impact.  Goals are accomplished through network meetings, workshops, pilot project support, and the annual Science of ADRD for Social Scientists Program.

To see recent research by CeASES-ADRD pilots, click here.

The Executive Committee includes: Julie Zissimopoulos, PI and Director, Administration Core; Dana Goldman mPI and Director Dissemination Core; Mark Hayward, mPI and Director, Network Core; Jay Bhattacharya, mPI and Director, Pilot Core; Jennifer Ailshire, Co-Director Dissemination Core; Eileen Crimmins, Co-Director, Pilot Core; Pinchas Cohen, Hector Gonzalez and Jennifer Manly, Advisory.

For questions contact Johanna Thunell,  jthunell@usc.edu.

For more information about USC’s CeASES-ADRD, click here.