Emerging Scholars: Call for Proposals

2026 Emerging Scholars Call for NIH P30 Pilot Project Proposals

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 2, 2026
Expected Date of Award Notification: Summer, 2026
Expected Start date: September 1, 2026

Description of Emerging Scholars Program

The Center for Aging Families (CAF) Emerging Scholars program invites applications for our 2026 cohort of scholars. Up to two Emerging Scholars will be selected for the program each year. The program runs for a two-year period.

Each Emerging Scholar will be awarded pilot funding for the period from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2028. These pilot projects may be funded up to $50,000 in direct costs to be used in the two years of the program.

Emerging Scholar awards support the development of an innovative National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant proposal (e.g., R03, R15 (BGSU) R21, R01, or K-series) that aligns with the Center’s research themes on aging families. Selected scholars will participate in a two-year program focused on submitting an R- or K-series NIA grant application. As part of this program, each scholar will be assigned to two established senior mentors to advise them through the process of conducting the pilot study and submitting the NIA proposal. Enrollees will benefit from academic-year workshops, an intensive summer grant writing workshop, mock proposal review, and networking and mentorship opportunities across our three campuses (Bowling Green, Ohio State, and Purdue), nationally at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, as well as in concert with other P30 aging centers.

Eligible candidates

Tenured or tenure-track faculty and research scientists with principal investigator eligibility at Bowling Green State University, Ohio State University, or Purdue University who have not been a PI of a substantial NIH independent research award (e.g., R01). Priority will be given to early-stage scholars who completed their PhD within the past 10 years and/or scholars of any career stage who are new to the study of aging families. Individuals who have received a CAF Emerging Scholar award are ineligible to apply for a subsequent award. Due to current NIH rules, we are unable to fund research activities that take place outside the United States. Research using data collected internationally is eligible as long as all funds are spent in the U.S.

Scholars considering a submission to the Emerging Scholars program are strongly encouraged to reach out to the CAF directors Cathy Liu (liu3839@purdue.edu) and Rin Reczek (Reczek.2@osu.edu) before applying to ensure that their proposal fits within CAF themes.

Required Application Materials

  1. Pilot project proposal (2-page, single-spaced). Pilot projects should incorporate one or more of the following themes: 1) Aging Family Demography: aging family structure and aging family dynamics that speak to demographic issues, broadly defined; 2) Aging Family Health: how family structure and dynamics shape any aspect of aging health; and 3) Aging Health Disparities in Families: how aging family health is conditional on a variety of structural, cultural, behavioral, genetic, and other social factors that create health disparities across populations. The 2-page proposal should include the following information:
    • Project title, Investigator, and affiliation
    • CAF Theme(s) this project addresses
    • Specific Aims (about ½ page)
    • Significance and Innovation (about ½ page)
    • Approach (about ½ page)
    • Outcomes and Next Steps (about ½ page)
  2. Budget Justification. Proposed projects may be funded up to $50,000 (direct costs) for two years. Allowable costs include faculty salary, graduate research assistants, purchasing of data or data access, travel to the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, and any expenses related to the proposed study within guidelines for federally allowable expense.
  3. PI NIH biosketch (following NIH guidelines)

Note that projects involving human subjects will require IRB approval if selected for the award; this is not required at the time of application. At the time of the award, CAF will also request a letter confirming approval of terms and conditions from the Emerging Scholar’s chair/head/director.

The award will include indirect costs to the Emerging Scholar’s institution at the rate of 8% of direct costs, as required by the CAF parent grant.

Submit required application and materials using this Qualtrics link.

Award terms and conditions

The Emerging Scholars program is a two-year program. The receipt of the second year of funding is conditional on making satisfactory progress over the first year of the award. All scholars will be expected to:

  • Engage in monthly meetings with mentors, grantwriting trainings (summer and academic year), the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, and other CAF activities;
  • Engage in cross-center training and career enhancement activities for Emerging Scholars Pilot Project awardees and Mentorship Programs via the D&E CC. The D&E CC is a coordinating center for all NIA P30 Centers.
  • Make regular progress with the proposed project and promptly report any obstacles or challenges to CAF leadership;
  • Submit an R- or K-series grant to NIA by the end of the two-year award.

All institutional policies for human subjects research, research ethics, and research expenditures apply to these awards. In addition, Emerging Scholars are required to follow NIH public access policies for manuscripts and data produced as part of the award.

All publications and presentations resulting from the award should acknowledge CAF and its funding from the National Institute on Aging (P30AG096979). At the time of submission of the external proposal resulting from the Emerging Scholars award, CAF should be included in any distribution of indirect costs associated with the external award – please contact the CAF directors for guidance.

More about the CAF

CAF is a collaboration among scholars at Bowling Green State University, Ohio State University, and Purdue University, supported by a P30 center grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The Center for Aging Families advances research and scholarship on the multifaceted experiences of aging families. We are particularly focused on fostering innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities that aging families encounter—including family demography, health and well-being, and caregiving. As part of our mission, we are committed to supporting the next generation of scholars who are dedicated to this important field of study.

Questions? Email agingfamilies@bgsu.edu

Updated: 01/13/2026 03:24PM