Data Coordinating Center for the Aging and Alzheimers Disease Mouse Brain Atlas (AD-MBA)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), has issued a forecast notice for a forthcoming funding opportunity titled “Data Coordinating Center for the Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Brain Atlas (AD-MBA),” under opportunity number FOR-RFA-AG-26-012. The notice outlines the intention to publish a full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support a Data Coordinating Center that will integrate and disseminate multiscale mouse brain datasets relevant to aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The opportunity is part of the broader NIA AD Multimodal Atlas Projects (AD-MAPs), a collaborative initiative to create centralized resources for AD research using animal models. This forthcoming cooperative agreement will utilize the U24 activity code. The primary goal is to establish a central resource that serves the research community by collecting, curating, integrating, and disseminating multimodal data, including multi-omics and connectomics information derived from mouse models. The Data Coordinating Center is expected to leverage the existing NIA-supported AD Knowledge Portal infrastructure to host and distribute data, enable collaborative analysis among participating data-producing teams, and incorporate tools that support integration of datasets across modalities and scales. A major component will be the creation of a web-based interface for public access to visualizations and comprehensive datasets. Eligible applicants for this opportunity include a wide range of institutions and organizations such as public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments, independent school districts, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, small businesses, public housing authorities, and Native American tribal entities, both federally recognized and otherwise. The program is designed to support entities capable of managing large-scale data coordination and dissemination for the neuroscience and aging research fields. The NOFO is currently at the forecast stage, with an estimated post date of September 1, 2025, and an estimated application due date of January 25, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated to be issued by December 1, 2026, which is also the projected project start date. As this opportunity is not yet accepting applications, applicants are encouraged to use the forecast period to prepare responsive proposals and establish relevant collaborations in anticipation of the NOFO release. There is no matching requirement associated with this opportunity, and award ceilings, floors, and total program funding have not been specified in the forecast. Specific application forms, documentation requirements, and evaluation criteria are not yet available, as the full NOFO has not been published. However, the early forecast provides sufficient time for institutions and researchers with relevant experience in data management, neurobiology, and bioinformatics to prepare for the application window. Interested applicants should direct inquiries to Dr. Erin E. Gray at the National Institute on Aging. She can be reached via phone at 301-451-3968 or by email at erin.gray@nih.gov. Updates regarding this opportunity will be made available through Grants.gov and the official NIH funding announcements page. Applicants are encouraged to subscribe to alerts or regularly check for updates to ensure they receive the NOFO once posted.