Thank you to all who joined last week's Clin-STAR Annual Meeting both in-person and online! Many of the slides from the meeting are now publicly available on the Clin-STAR website here.

Introducing Highlighted Topics: A Centralized and Simple Resource to Learn About Research Areas of Interest to NIH

NIH announces a new centralized and simplified resource, called NIH Highlighted Topics, that informs the research community about particular areas of science of interest to NIH. Visiting this resource early and often when conceptualizing your research ideas will help ensure you are aware of some of NIH’s latest scientific interests. It also aims to help facilitate innovation and discovery through a strong focus on more investigator initiated driven research. 

Subscribe to Highlighted Topics to receive updates on these topics here.

Extramural Loan Repayment Program

The Extramural LRP is for researchers who are not employed by NIH. Research funding from NIH is not required to participate, and awardees may apply for competitive renewal awards if they continue to meet eligibility requirements. The deadline to apply has been extended to December 4, 2025.

Clin-STAR Exercise and Lifestyle Medicine SIG at GSA

Congratulations to the many members of the Exercise and Lifestyle Medicine Research Group who presented their work at two GSA 2025 symposia!

Ask the Expert: Kristine Yaffe, MD, Strengthening Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Aging Research Through Clin-STAR

Kristine Yaffe, one of the Multiple Principal Investigators of Clin-STAR, was recently featured in AFAR's Ask the Expert interview series. Read Dr. Yaffe's interview here.

The Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN) thanks all who joined the workshop earlier this month, both in-person and virtually! Many of the slides and recordings from the event are now available on the RCCN website here.

American Aging Association (AGE) Early Career Scholar’s Program
Deadline: December 10, 2025

Ten Scholars will be selected, and will receive a 2-year AGE membership, travel award for the 2026 AGE meeting worth $1300, the opportunity to present your research at the AGE 2026 annual meeting, and will be paired with a senior AGE trainee chapter member for ongoing mentorship.

IMPACT Collaboratory Career Development Award (CDA) Program
Deadline: January 15, 2026

The IMPACT Collaboratory Career Development Award (CDA) Program prepares emerging investigators to lead embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) that improve care for people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners.

NIA Expanding Research in AD/ADRD (ERA) Summer Research Education Program
Deadline: April 27, 2026

The overarching goal of this National Institute on Aging (NIA) R25 program is to support educational activities that compliment and/or enhance training opportunities to ensure a workforce that is well prepared to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs, help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences and foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

NIA Expanding Research in AD/ADRD (ERA) Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program
Deadline: May 27, 2026

The overarching goal of this National Institute on Aging (NIA) R25 program is to support educational activities that compliment and/or enhance training opportunities to ensure a workforce that is well prepared to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs, help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences and foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

Grant Opportunity Forecasted: Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging
Estimated Deadline: June 13, 2026

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that uses the NIH Emerging Leaders Career Development Award to administer the Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging program. This NOFO invites early-stage physicians and other health professional investigators with a commitment to aging and/or aging-related diseases to apply for this award with the goal of advancing their research and leadership skills in their specialty and in the broader field of aging and geriatrics research.

IMPACT Collaboratory 2025 Career Development Award Program Informational Webinar
December 3, 2025, 12:00PM-1:00 PM ET | Virtual

This informational webinar will provide an overview of the program and address applicant questions. Registration is required.

Advances in Geroscience Webinar Series: Testing the Geroscience Hypothesis
December 18, 2025, 12:00PM-1:00PM ET | Virtual

The NIH Geroscience Interest Group (GSIG) works to enhance opportunities at the intersection between aging biology and the biology of chronic diseases and conditions that are of interest to the various NIH Institutes and Centers. The GSIG fosters crucial scientific connections between NIH program staff and researchers studying the biology of aging and diseases where aging is a major risk factor. In 2025-2026, the GSIG will host a series of webinars to explore emerging and cross-cutting areas of geroscience research that are moving the field forward.

This communication is managed by the American Federation for Aging Research, which serves as the National Program Office for the Clin-STAR Coordinating Center. The Clin-STAR Coordinating Center is funded by the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging under award number U24AG065204. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funder.