# Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center

> **NIH NIH U24** · AMERICAN FEDERATION FOR AGING RESEARCH · 2020 · $423,363

## Abstract

The goal of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center (NSC3) is to enhance coordination and
cooperation among the existing Nathan Shock Centers (NSCs) as well as enhance their leadership role and
visibility in basic aging research. The NSCs themselves are tasked with strengthening research in the basic
biology of aging, supporting new investigators, driving innovation, providing resources and intellectual
leadership to the field. A successful NSC3 works in collaboration with the individual NSC leadership teams to
leverage the strengths of the individual centers via shared activities to the benefit of all. The American
Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national nonprofit organization which has served as the NSC3
since 2017. As the Coordinating Center, AFAR provides a forum to share and exchange information, primarily
through Program Directors meetings, the NSC biannual meeting, annual sessions or symposia at national or
international conferences, a dedicated NSC3 website, webinars and career development activities for the NSC
pilot grant recipients. The NSC3 also offers an innovative opportunity for the NSCs to assume a leadership role
in bringing to the forefront of aging research the newly re-emphasized NIH commitment to enhancing the
reproducibility of all biomedical research through rigor and transparency. Advantages of AFAR to continue to
serve as the NSC3 include: (1) an established infrastructure to facilitate ongoing as well as new NSC3
activities; (2) a strong rapport with NSC and NIA leadership; (3) an established an integrated approach to NSC
activities and linking the NSCs, and aging communities with the lay public; (4) direct access to and
communication with all 90+ NIA-supported Centers and their respective Coordinating Centers through the
Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN); (5) AFAR is an impartial organization with broad and
extensive network in the scientific community; (6) a demonstrated experience serving as a Coordinating Center
with many similar features; and (7) a well-developed network of grantees, both current and alumni, and
scientific leadership in aging research. AFAR will accomplish the functions of the NSC3 through the following
aims: (1) Enhance the NSCs external communication with the lay public, expand information on resources in
aging and related fields, and serve as a forum of scientific exchange among NSC investigators across sites as
well as other NIA- and NIH-funded, federal and privately funded initiatives promoting aging biology training
and/or research; (2) Work with the NSC directors to develop, distribute, and implement a shared state-of-the
art approach and commitment to the renewed NIH emphasis on rigor, reproducibility and transparency (RRT)
in pre-clinical studies; (3) Provide logistical support to the NSCs and their interactions with the appropriate NIA
staff; and (4) Develop and implement evaluation strategies for assessing the effectiveness of the NSCs and
NSC3, guide future di...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10045237
- **Project number:** 2U24AG056053-04
- **Recipient organization:** AMERICAN FEDERATION FOR AGING RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN N. AUSTAD
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $423,363
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10045237

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10045237, Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center (2U24AG056053-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10045237. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*