AFAR provides up to $100,000 for a one- to two-year award to junior faculty (M.D.s and Ph.D.s) to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts. AFAR-supported investigators study a broad range of biomedical and clinical topics. Since 1981, over 700 AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty have been awarded. The deadline for Letters of Intent is December 15, 2017.
The major goal of this program is to assist in the development of the careers of junior investigators committed to pursuing careers in the field of aging research. AFAR supports research projects concerned with understanding the basic mechanisms of aging. Projects investigating age-related diseases are also supported, especially if approached from the point of view of how basic aging processes may lead to these outcomes. Projects concerning mechanisms underlying common geriatric functional disorders are also encouraged, as long as these include connections to fundamental problems in the biology of aging. Projects that deal strictly with clinical problems such as the diagnosis and treatment of disease, health outcomes, or the social context of aging are not eligible.
Examples of potentially fundable areas of research include, but are not limited to:
- Aging and immune function
- Stem cell aging
- Inflammation
- Genetic control of longevity
- Neurobiology and neuropathology of aging*
- Mechanisms of dementia*
- Invertebrate or vertebrate animal models
- Cardiovascular aging
- Aging and cellular stress response
- Metabolic and endocrine changes
It is anticipated that approximately 10 grants of up to $100,000 each will be awarded in 2018. Applicants may propose to use the award over the course of one or two years as justified by the proposed research. Up to 8% of funds may be budgeted for overhead or indirect costs (not to exceed $7,407). Funding will begin July 1, 2018.
For more information, please visit: https://www.afar.org/research/funding/afar-research-grants/ and https://www.afar.org/research/funding/