Assistive Technology for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 588

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 588

This funding opportunity, titled "Assistive Technology for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)" (PAR 18 588), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program designed to spur research and development of practical technologies that support people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), along with the caregivers or care partners who support them. The central aim is to improve health, safety, independence, and overall quality of life while also helping reduce illness, disability, and the everyday burdens that dementia can place on both patients and families.

The FOA is especially focused on assistive technologies that address common and high-impact challenges in dementia care. A major area of interest is psychosocial support: tools that can help improve mood, reduce loneliness, and strengthen social connection, communication, and engagement. Another key priority is stress reduction for either the person with dementia, the caregiver, or both. The announcement specifically points to approaches like biofeedback or other behaviorally oriented therapeutic supports, suggesting interest in technologies that can detect stress states and respond with interventions or guidance. The FOA also highlights care management and support for activities of daily living, meaning solutions that make it easier to coordinate care tasks, maintain routines, support safe daily functioning, and reduce the friction of day-to-day caregiving demands.

A notable feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration, reflecting how complex dementia care challenges are in real life. Applicants are encouraged to build teams that bridge clinical and technical expertise, such as geriatricians (especially those experienced with cognitive impairment and dementia), psychologists, neurologists, and experts in computer science and engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, and software). The expectation is that strong proposals will pair a real understanding of patient and caregiver needs with the ability to design, build, and test technology that can be used outside of a lab setting, in homes and communities, and across diverse populations.

Applications are expected to show clear potential for broad public health impact and should make a strong case that the proposed technology meets four practical characteristics. First, it should be innovative, meaning it offers a meaningful new approach rather than a minor upgrade of existing tools. Second, it must be efficacious and effective, indicating that the project should be positioned to demonstrate measurable benefit, with credible evidence generation plans that can support real-world use (and clinical trials are allowed but not required). Third, it should be scalable, meaning it can be produced, deployed, and maintained widely without requiring specialized resources that would limit adoption. Fourth, it should be low-cost, reflecting a strong interest in affordability and accessibility so that solutions can reach the large and growing population affected by ADRD without creating prohibitive financial barriers.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, this is a discretionary grant mechanism under NIH, categorized under health and associated with CFDA 93.866. The eligible applicant pool is small businesses, consistent with SBIR requirements, and the funding mechanism is the NIH R43/R44 pathway, which typically supports early-stage feasibility and later-stage development in phases. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, certain "foreign components" may be permitted under NIH policy definitions, so applicants with any international involvement would need to align carefully with NIH Grants Policy Statement rules and the FOA's specific eligibility language. The opportunity was created on January 26, 2018, and the original closing date listed is January 8, 2020, which signals that this particular posting may be historical; applicants would typically check NIH and the FOA record for the most current submission dates, reissues, or related active opportunities.

Overall, the program is aimed at helping small businesses translate promising ideas into usable assistive technologies that meaningfully support daily life with dementia. The strongest fit is likely for products or platforms that address real caregiver and patient pain points, can be validated with credible outcomes, and have a realistic path to broad, affordable deployment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assistive Technology for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers (R43/R44 - 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 2018-01-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for PAR 18 588

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