NIA-Funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers

NIA-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) serve as a national resource for research on the nature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) and the development of more effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis, care, and therapy. They create shared resources that support dementia-relevant research.

About the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers

Over four decades, NIA-funded ADRCs have played a central role in national research efforts to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The NIA funds ADRCs at major medical institutions across the United States. Researchers at these Centers are conducting cutting-edge research better understand disease and symptom heterogeneity, increase research utilization of real world clinical information, identify early risk and protective factors, and accelerate translational research advances to clinical practice.

NIA ADRCs are Congressionally designated NIH Centers of Excellence. Established in 1984, the ADRCs were the first of only six such centers to be mandated by statute.

Although each center has its own area of emphasis, the ADRCs also enhance research on Alzheimer’s disease as a network that shares new research ideas and approaches as well as data (through the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center ), biological samples (through NCRAD ) and genetic information (through ADGC ). The network also provides an infrastructure to facilitate NIA signature programs like ADNI and the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium .

Why Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers are Important to Dementia Research

ADRC Program Contacts

If you have questions about ADRCs please contact us.

Program Director: Nina Silverberg, Ph.D.
Program Co-Director: Cerise Elliott, Ph.D.
Program Contact: Aleksandra Dakic, Ph.D.

For people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, the ADRCs offer:

  • Help with obtaining diagnosis and medical management
  • Information about the disease, services, and resources
  • Outreach to assure that all populations have the opportunity to participate in clinical studies and research registries, and learn about clinical trials
  • Support groups and other special programs for volunteers, their families, and other members of the public who are interested

Funding for Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers

In order to become an NIA-funded ADRC, you would need to respond to a funding opportunity announcement and successfully undergo peer review of the application. The most recent ADRC Request for Applications (RFA) had a final receipt date of September 26, 2025. We do not have any information about future RFAs at this time.

You can keep up to date on National Institute on Aging funding opportunities through grants.gov .

For further information, please email Cerise Elliott at elliottce@mail.nih.gov .