Research Awards for the Study of the Economics of AD/ADRD
To promote research on economic aspects of the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD), and the care of persons living with dementia (PLWD), the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) plans to award approximately five “READ” (Research on the Economics of Alzheimer's/Dementia) grants. These one-year grants will be administered by the NBER’s Coordinating Center on the Economics of AD/ADRD, which is supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and links together a consortium of AD/ADRD-related research initiatives.
Each READ award recipient will receive support for up to $200,000 in total research costs — the sum of direct and indirect costs. Priority research topics include, but are not limited to:
• Cost of dementia care: This research area includes investigations of the economic impact of dementia on families, healthcare systems, and society. It can examine direct costs such as medical care and support services, as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity and wages of caregivers. Additionally, this research may explore the impact of health insurance access on health and wellbeing outcomes for PLWD, the cost of drug development, and the role of policies and payment models in shaping access to care.
• Health systems research: This research area includes investigations of how institutional factors, such as the organization of care, payment for care (e.g., Accountable Care Organizations, augmenting service coverage, etc.), and care coordination influence access, utilization, and outcomes (e.g., quality of life, morbidity, mortality, and health disparities) for PLWD and their families. This research may also explore how systemic or institutional incentive structures can improve care for persons with dementia and cost-effectiveness research utilizing data from the NIA-supported Long-Term Care Data Cooperative.
• Prevention and management of dementia: This research area includes investigations of the economic impact of prevention and management strategies for dementia, as well as the use of economic incentives, to modify individual or institutional actions. For example, researchers may investigate interventions such as lifestyle changes, medications, and non-pharmacological therapies. This research may also explore how policies of governments and other institutions influence access, use, and quality of healthcare, as well as how payment models impact what care is provided to whom.
• Long-term care: This research area includes investigations of the economic impact of long-term care for PLWD, including institutional care and home care, and comparing different models of care and transitioning from long-term care facilities to home or hospital. This research may also investigate the impact of how care is financed on access, long-term care outcomes, as well as how policies and payment models shape access to long-term care services.
• Impact of labor force participation/occupation on AD/ADRD risk: This research area includes investigations of the relationship between labor force participation, occupation, tenure, voluntary or involuntary interruption (e.g., unemployment, retirement, etc.), gig employment, job features/rules (e.g., shift work rules, etc.), and other aspects of employment over time on dementia risk and health outcomes. For example, researchers may investigate how the interaction between employment options and familial caregiving responsibilities impact related economic and health outcomes.
• Economic research on the dementia care workforce: This research area includes examinations of the economic and labor market factors that impact the recruitment, training, and retention of healthcare workers in the dementia care workforce. It includes investigations of the costs and benefits of different training and education programs on care worker retention and productivity, as well as the effectiveness of different incentive structures in promoting the recruitment and retention of skilled care workers. This research may also explore how changes in reimbursement rates and payment models impact the availability and quality of dementia care services. By better understanding the economic and labor market factors that influence the size and composition of the dementia care workforce, policymakers and healthcare providers can work together to develop more effective and sustainable strategies for ensuring high-quality care for PLWD.
• Economics of dementia drug development: This research area includes examinations of the economic aspects of drug development for dementia treatments, including the costs, incentives, and barriers associated with discovering and bringing new drugs to market, including issues of resultant access and coverage for patients. This research may also explore the impact of intellectual property rights, regulatory frameworks, and public-private partnerships on the economic viability and accessibility of dementia drugs, as well as the potential for international collaborations to promote more effective and equitable approaches to drug development for PLWD.
• Cross-national comparative studies of AD/ADRD risk factors and dementia care: This research area includes examinations of cross-national comparative studies of AD/ADRD risk factors and dementia care. By comparing and contrasting the economic and healthcare factors that impact dementia care across different countries, researchers can identify best practices and policy approaches that can be adapted in different contexts to improve care for PLWD. This research can also explore the similarities and differences in care delivery and healthcare utilization patterns by exploiting national policy differences.
• Demonstration projects and behavioral economics interventions in AD/ADRD care: This research area includes examinations of the economic and behavioral factors that influence healthcare utilization patterns of PLWD and can improve care for them. Interventions can include financial incentives, nudges such as the development of personalized feedback, and social support, which can promote healthy behaviors and improve health outcomes for PLWD by providing guideline concordant care to physicians, nurses, caregivers, or older adults. This research may also investigate the impact of modifications to insurance and payment models on healthcare utilization, as well as the role of statewide demonstration projects for improving care for PLWD. If a clinical trial, only Stage IV or V trials, as defined by the NIH Stage Model, are allowed.
• Economic modeling of future costs of AD/ADRD: This research area includes developing economic models to predict the future economic impact of AD/ADRD on individuals and society, considering demographic trends, development of potential drugs/interventions, changes in multiple comorbidities across cohorts, and changes in the prevalence of AD/ADRD. The models may also incorporate the impact of policies and payment models on the future burden of dementia and the provision of care, and account for drivers of disparities.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data for economic research on AD/ADRD: This research area includes utilizing advanced AI methods and big data analytics to gain deeper insights into the economics of dementia care. By implementing AI approaches, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive modeling, researchers can detect patterns, trends, and potential policy interventions within large and multifaceted datasets related to dementia care and how to improve care for PLWD. This research might concentrate on areas such as healthcare utilization, cost-effectiveness, tailored care interventions, and refining incentive structures for enhanced care and outcomes for PLWD and their families. Moreover, AI-driven techniques can facilitate more efficient analysis of data from various sources, including electronic health records, administrative data, and longitudinal studies, leading to more comprehensive and actionable findings.
To apply for a READ award, researchers should submit proposals in PDF format by 11:59pm ET on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Each proposal should include a cover page with the names and contact information of all the principal investigators (PIs) and all other investigators, and a note that this is an application for the READ program. Each proposal must include five components:
i) A project description of no more than four pages, single spaced with no less than 0.5” inch margins and no smaller than Arial size 11 font for text, including references, tables, graphs, and other supplementary material, summarizing the research question to be studied. This description should explain the data and methods to be used and describe the research team that will carry out the project. Preliminary findings as well as an explanation of the process required to access relevant data are welcome. The description must include a timeline outlining completion dates for project milestones. Preference will be given to proposals that outline a plan for generating publishable results in roughly one year.
ii) A detailed budget totaling no more than $200,000 in total costs. The budget may include salary support for the principal investigator(s), wages for research assistants, conference travel, data purchase, and other research costs. For proposals that are structured as sub-awards, the budget must include any applicable indirect costs. NBER affiliates must contact adrd@nber.org to formulate a budget.
iii) A curriculum vitae for each investigator.
iv) A conflict-of-interest statement describing any financial or other interests of the research team that might bear on the proposed project.
v) A brief explanation of how the project will inform ADRD-related health disparities across various population sub-groups, and how the research findings will inform NIA AD/ADRD economics research milestones are described on the NIA website, AD and ADRD Research Implementation Milestones.
Proposals without such explanations will not be considered.
Research teams must include at least one faculty member at a US college or university. Graduate students may not serve as PIs. Proposals are welcome from researchers in fields other than economics, from researchers who are members of under-represented groups, and from researchers both with and without NBER affiliations. Preference will be extended to projects that are expected to produce findings suitable for conference presentations and submission to an academic journal in health, medicine, or economics within one year, and that are not currently funded by the NIA or any other federal agencies.
Proposals will be reviewed by a scientific committee chaired by the Center co-directors, Rhoda Au (Boston University), Julie Bynum (University of Michigan), and Kathleen McGarry (UCLA), with input from the Coordinating Center’s NIA project scientist. The NIA Program Officer will review all recommended proposals for funding to ensure they align with the scope of the AD/ADRD Coordinating Center. Successful applicants will be notified in March 2025. All investigators invited to receive research support will be required to attest to their compliance with the NBER Professional Code of Conduct.
The NBER will host two half-hour online sessions, one on Monday, November 18, 2024, from 3:00–3:30 pm ET and a second on Monday, December 16, 2024, from 2:00–2:30 pm ET, to provide information on the READ program and the closely related EC-READ program, both of which support research on AD/ADRD. These sessions will provide an opportunity for potential applicants to raise questions about these programs. They will be moderated by the Coordinating Center’s Executive Director, Susan Stewart, and will include NIA and NBER program staff. Interested potential applicants may register for these sessions.
Research teams will be expected to start their projects in June 2025, to participate in periodic meetings with the Coordinating Center co-directors and the investigators from other supported projects, to document their progress in achieving research milestones, and to present their findings at a June 2026 conference in Washington, DC.
Please circulate this call to colleagues and others who are interested in carrying out research on the economics of AD/ADRD. Early career scientists may also be interested in a companion EC-READ grant program.
Questions related to READ awards should be directed to adrd@nber.org.