Structure and process of federal funding for AD research

This paper outlines the structure of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) agency that funds a majority of Alzheimer disease (AD) research, and the process of submitting a federal grant application. The multiple steps of the grant application process, both for the investigator preparing the application and the review process at NIH, are described. The importance of speaking with a program officer from an institute and incorporating reviewers' comments into grant applications to strengthen the proposal is stressed.