Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026, Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD) Program

About this funding opportunity

Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD)

Share or print this page

Share to FacebookShare on XShare on BlueskyPrintBookmark Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD)

The Alzheimer’s Association aims to support innovative, high-risk, collaborative team science opportunities that investigate and focus on outstanding questions related to the biological underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including the vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). This funding call will be supported through an innovative funding model, the Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund (ADSF), established in 2019 to support studies that advance our mechanistic understanding of disease biology. The ADSF expects timely sharing of data and resources generated from funded projects in accordance with the sharing principles detailed herein. Grant RFA

View program objectives, eligibility, submission process and more.

Download the RFA Grant Application

Apply for the VCID-UMD grant by submitting your LOI through the ProposalCentral website.

Apply Now Program overview Eligibility Key dates and deadlines Funding overview Application process Application review process Additional information Contact ininformation Program overview

In its second offering, the Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD) grant program aims to fund concerted and collaborative efforts that will explore critical questions to advance our understanding of VCID and its contributions to AD/ ADRD pathogenesis by targeting scientific questions on how VCID may intersect with immune, lipid and endolysosomal related functions to contribute to disease. Projects responsive to this call include, but are not limited to: Exploring how vascular dysfunctions alter brain metabolism, and how defects in mechanisms such as alterations in the blood brain barrier (BBB), neurovascular coupling, cerebral blood flow or waste clearance contribute to amyloid aggregation and neuronal loss; and how diverse cell types residing in the vasculature including but not limited to endothelial cells, pericytes, smooth muscle cells, perivascular fibroblasts and/or perivascular immune cells contribute to these mechanisms. Investigating vascular-immune crosstalk including but not limited to understanding the roles of parenchymal versus peripheral immune signaling or the innate versus adaptive immune system, and how defects on the vasculature contribute to the disruption of brain immune homeostasis. This could also consider questions related to cell type and stage throughout the brain and periphery. Understanding how the lymphatic and glymphatic system contributes to vascular-related abnormalities and ultimately AD/ADRD pathogenesis. Investigating the intersection between VCID, immune, lipid and endolysosomal function to contribute to AD/ADRD pathogenesis. Defining the role of APOE contribution to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and ARIA that could contribute to AD/ ADRD pathogenesis. Understanding how vascular pathophysiology contributes and intersects with multiple disease-specific pathologies, including but not limited to Lewy Bodies, TDP-43 and others. Leverage existing data sets that may support advances in our understanding of above questions. Developing novel biomarkers related to measuring changes in VCID, with a goal of understanding biological implications at early- phases of AD/ ADRD. Developing key tools and/or resources, such as imaging, that will benefit a broader range of scientific questions and/or studies related to neurovascular health. Tools and resources developed through this funding must be made broadly available to the scientific field. Eligibility Applicants must hold a full-time position at the…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026, Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD) Program is administered by Alzheimer's Association (AA), listed via Alzheimer's Association.