IGEMS Pilot Grant Program
Call for Proposals — 2027 Cycle
Consortium on the Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS)
Supported by the National Institute on Aging, R61AG094612
Proposals due: Tuesday, 1 December 2026, 5:00 PM PT
See THIS LINK for the full call for proposals:
Overview
IGEMS is an international consortium of 21 longitudinal twin studies of adult development and aging from five countries (Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United States). Its combined sample of 145,011 twins, aged 18 to 108 at intake, carries harmonized measures of physical health and functional ability, cognitive health, emotional health, and adult and rearing socioeconomic status, along with AD/ADRD diagnoses and registry linkages where available and polygenic scores for 19,352 individuals. The IGEMS pilot program funds new research using these data and brings new investigators and new disciplines into the consortium.
We seek innovative, cross-disciplinary proposals on any topic in behavioral genetics, twin and family studies, or gene-environment (GE) interplay in aging. Proposals must either analyze existing IGEMS data or propose a new twin cohort for IGEMS to onboard and harmonize. The most meritorious proposals will be selected irrespective of specific topic. Projects likely to lead to an R03, R21, or R01 submission—with pilot activities serving as supporting data—are strongly preferred.
Award amount and period
Approximately $50,000 in total costs is available in this cycle. Depending on the applicant pool, we will make either two awards of up to $25,000 each or one award of up to $50,000. All budget figures are total costs, inclusive of any indirect costs.
Funds are issued as a subaward from the University of Southern California and must be spent within 12 months
(anticipated period: February 1, 2027–January 31, 2028). Unspent funds revert to IGEMS at the end of that period. Funds may support a graduate research assistant, data manager or analyst, summer salary, publication costs, and other reasonable research expenses. Equipment is not allowable.
Eligibility
Applicants must be based in the United States. The applicant, all key personnel, and all individuals paid from pilot
funds must be employed by or enrolled at a U.S. institution. Applications submitted from non-U.S. institutions, or that include non-U.S. personnel, subawards, or consultants, are not eligible and will not be reviewed. This restriction does not apply to the IGEMS mentor, who is not paid from pilot funds and may be based at a non-U.S. institution.
In addition:
• Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) in a related field.
• Priority is given to early-stage investigators and to projects likely to generate a new NIH application.
Two requirements before you submit
1. Identify a senior IGEMS mentor. Every application must name an established IGEMS investigator who has agreed to mentor the project. This mentor must review and approve your application before you submit it in December. If you do not already have an IGEMS contact, email us and we will help identify one.
2. Meet with the IGEMS Data Management team. A consultation confirms that the cohorts and variables you plan to use are available and appropriately harmonized. Schedule this early; it takes one short meeting.
Resources for applicants
• Consortium description and data overview: Finkel D, Finch BK, Gatz M, et al. “The Interplay of Genes and Environment Across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) Consortium After Fifteen Years”. Twin Research and Human
Genetics. 2025. doi:10.1017/thg.2025.10036 (open access). Includes cohort-by-cohort descriptions, sample sizes, age ranges, and the variables available in each study.
• IGEMS harmonized variable list (cohorts, variables, and harmonization status)
• Intro to IGEMS Data video, covering the consortium, the data, the application, and available support
• Application checklist
All materials are available at https://igems-twin.net/cfp
What to submit
Submit a single PDF containing, in order:
1. IGEMS application checklist (title, applicant and key personnel, named IGEMS mentor, Data Management
consultation date, requested cohorts, requested variables, and total budget requested).
2. Abstract (30 lines maximum): research question, significance, approach, and anticipated contribution.
3. Research plan (2–3 pages, 11-point Arial, 0.5-inch margins, single spaced): specific aims with hypotheses and
endpoints; approach, including data, cohorts, and analytic methods; significance and innovation; and how the
pilot will position you for external funding.
4. References (not counted in the page limit).
5. NIH-format biosketch for the applicant and any key personnel. An eRA Commons account is not required at the
time of application.
6. Budget and brief justification, separating direct and indirect costs.
Email the complete application to igems-admin@usc.edu by 5:00 PM PT on 1 December 2026.
Review criteria
• Scientific significance, innovation, and rigor of approach
• Fit with the IGEMS mission and feasibility with IGEMS data and the proposed budget
• Likelihood of leading to an external grant application, particularly to NIH/NIA
• Contribution to the interdisciplinary breadth of the consortium, including new collaborations among current and
prospective IGEMS affiliates
Awards are determined by the IGEMS Executive Committee after initial screening by the Pilot Committee. Preference is given to junior scholars, interdisciplinary projects with new collaborative arrangements, and those most likely to lead to future NIH/NIA R awards.
What awardees receive
Funded investigators join the IGEMS research team, with access to the IGEMS data repositories, the shared analysis scripts on the IGEMS GitHub, and the monthly IGEMS meetings. Data are released only after an approved Abstract of Intent (automatic for pilot awardees) and an executed Data Use Agreement are on file. Each awardee is paired with a member of the Data Management team and at least one IGEMS mentor, and can draw on the IGEMS Analytical Methods Team for project-specific statistical guidance and on IGEMS faculty for support in developing a subsequent grant application.
Awardee requirements
At the time of funding, sign IDAs and DUAs; data cannot be released until it is on file. Give two brief progress reports at 6 and 12 months during IGEMS monthly meetings. Awardees also report back to IGEMS on papers published and grant proposals submitted from the pilot work, including after the award period ends, and acknowledge NIA award R61AG094612 (and other relevant IGEMS grants, as appropriate) in resulting publications and presentations.
Timeline
Intro to IGEMS Data (video): 30 September 2026
Proposals due: 1 December 2026 5:00 PM PT igems-admin@usc.edu
Review and notification: January 2027
Funding begins: February 2027
Questions
Contact Brian K. Finch (brian.finch@usc.edu), Deborah Finkel (dgfinkel@usc.edu), or Em Arpawong (arpawong@usc.edu) to discuss project ideas, budgets, or potential IGEMS mentors. We encourage every prospective applicant to reach out early.