Lucidity in Dementia (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AG 20 016

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 20 016

The Lucidity in Dementia (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-20-016) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant solicitation focused on improving scientific understanding of lucidity as it occurs in people living with dementia. The central aim is to support an initial wave of exploratory studies that can clarify what lucidity looks like, when and why it happens, how it can be measured, and what it might mean for patients, caregivers, and clinical care. The FOA is explicitly positioned as a “groundwork” initiative, meaning it is meant to build foundational evidence and methods that later, larger studies can rely on, rather than to fully settle the field in one step.

Projects funded under this announcement are expected to use the NIH R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory and developmental research. In practical terms, that means the studies should be early-stage but still rigorous, aimed at generating preliminary data, testing feasibility, piloting tools or approaches, or developing initial conceptual and measurement frameworks. The FOA allows for retrospective and/or prospective study designs. Retrospective work could include analyses of existing datasets, medical records, caregiver reports, or previously collected observational data to identify patterns of lucidity. Prospective work could include following individuals over time to document lucid episodes as they occur, testing observational protocols, or evaluating data collection methods in real-world care settings. The “Clinical Trial Optional” designation indicates applicants may propose a clinical trial if it is appropriate for the research question, but a clinical trial is not required.

The opportunity falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.866, which aligns with aging and related NIH research portfolios. The award ceiling listed is $200,000, and while the source data notes “Expected Awards:” without a specified number, the intent is to support an initial set of studies rather than a single project. The original closing date for the solicitation was February 3, 2020, and the FOA record indicates it was created on May 6, 2019.

Eligibility is broad, spanning many common applicant types such as state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities. It also includes a wide range of organizational applicants across nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education for those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. In addition, the FOA highlights “other eligible applicants,” emphasizing inclusion of institutions and organizations that serve historically underrepresented or specific community populations. These explicitly named groups include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This breadth suggests NIH was seeking to encourage diverse research settings, perspectives, and participant populations, which is especially relevant for a topic like lucidity in dementia that can be influenced by cultural context, caregiving environments, and differences in health systems.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as a targeted push to establish the early evidence base and research infrastructure for studying lucidity in dementia. It encourages projects that can define and characterize the phenomenon, develop or refine ways to detect and measure it, and generate the preliminary findings needed to justify and design more definitive future studies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lucidity in Dementia (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-02-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA AG 20 016

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