Applying for the 2023-2024 Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions in Aging Pilot Projects

The Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions in Aging seeks proposals for pilot projects that involve randomized controlled trials (RCTs).  If approved for funding by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the pilots would receive support during the period June 1, 2023-May 31, 2024.  Applications from senior and junior researchers from academic and research institutions focused on the consequences of current patterns of practice and the development of interventions that will improve care delivery, the quality of care, and its value to aging adults are encouraged. Potential project funding is limited to $70,000 in direct costs.

About the Opportunity

Pilot projects must be in accordance with the ​NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Interventions: with a focus on Stage II, II and IV. Projects that involve scalable interventions, with the potential to broadly improve population health as people age, are of particular interest. This funding will not support non-clinical-trial research or research that will be conducted outside of the United States.

To determine whether your project is eligible for this funding, you must answer ‘yes’ to the following four questions which indicate that this project is an NIH-defined clinical trial:

  1. Does the study involve human participants?
  2. Are the participants prospectively assigned to an intervention?
  3. Is the study designed to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the participants?
  4. Is the effect being evaluated a health-related biomedical or behavioral outcome?

The project must comply with all NIH clinical trial policies, which are described at https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials.htm.

Next Steps and How to Apply

The dates and information have been updated to reflect the 2023/2024 funding cycle.

  • By January 13, 2023: Submit a 1-page description of your project (including overall goal, specific aims, and study design), anticipated budget needs, and Biosketches for all key personnel by email to Jason Doctor, PhD, Co-PI jdoctor@usc.edu and Tara Knight, PhD, Project Director knight@usc.edu, Subject: 2023/2024 USC-Roybal Pilot Application_Full Name of Investigator.
  • By January 27, 2023: Selected applicants will be notified with a request for detailed proposal materials for submission to NIA.
  • By March 13, 2023: Using templates and instructions we will provide, selected applicants will submit a full proposal package including a Project Description (3 pages max), PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information, Budget, Biosketch, and Other Support.
  • By June 1, 2023: or as soon as USC-Roybal is notified by NIA of the Notice of Grant Award, all applicants will be notified of their award status. Please be advised that delays on the NIH side could cause approval to arrive later in the summer. Depending on the risks associated with your study, the NIH may require your study to receive Data & Safety Monitoring Board and/or Safety Officer approval before recruitment can begin.
  • For as long as your study continues: Maintain a ClinicalTrials.gov record for your study in keeping with NIH policy. Update us periodically on your progress.

About USC Roybal Center:
The USC-Roybal Center conducts research that advances healthy aging for older adults who are economically insecure, culturally diverse, and under-served by human services organizations. The Center develops and tests interventions based on insights from behavioral science to promote healthy aging. This Center aims to strengthen the ability of clinicians everywhere to choose or recommend the safest and most effective treatments for their patients through the use of insights from behavioral science developed at the Center. By way of fostering close collaborations between behavioral scientists and clinical researchers; this Center will address some of the Nation’s most pressing population health concerns that are driven by overuse of medical services and underuse of comparatively effective services. Further information about USC’s Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions and Aging can be found ​here​.

Leadership: ​ Jason N. Doctor, PhD,​ Co-Principal Investigator; ​Dana Goldman, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator;​ Daniella Meeker, PhD,​ Pilot Core Director​; Barbara Turner,​ ​MD, Clinical Advisor.

For questions, contact Tara Knight, ​knight@usc.edu,​ or call 213-821-7943.