Accelerating the Pace of Drug Abuse Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 22 037

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 22 037

Accelerating the Pace of Drug Abuse Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (RFA-DA-22-037) that supports research projects built around the innovative analysis of data that already exist. Rather than funding the creation of entirely new data collections as the central activity, this grant is designed for investigators who can extract new, policy- and practice-relevant knowledge by applying strong study designs and modern analytic methods to extant datasets. The overall emphasis is on accelerating progress by making fuller use of public-use and other previously collected community-based or clinical data sources, including social science, behavioral, administrative, and neuroimaging datasets.

The scientific scope focuses on understanding both the etiology and epidemiology of drug-using behaviors and related disorders, with "drug use" broadly defined to include alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, and other substances. Applications are expected to address key questions about how substance use starts, escalates, persists, or remits across time, and how these trajectories connect to real-world consequences. Those consequences can include morbidity and mortality outcomes, co-occurring mental health conditions, and broader functional impacts. The FOA also encourages work on risk and resilience, especially research that clarifies why some individuals or communities are more vulnerable to developing substance-related problems or psychopathology, while others show protective factors that reduce harm.

In addition to substance use behavior itself, the announcement explicitly highlights prevention of drug use and HIV, as well as health service utilization. That means competitive projects can center on prevention processes and outcomes, HIV-related prevention or transmission risk as it intersects with substance use, and the ways people access, receive, and benefit from prevention and treatment services. A major through-line is generating evidence that can inform strategies to guide the development, testing, implementation, and delivery of high-quality services, with attention to effectiveness and efficiency in real-world settings. In practice, this can include studying gaps in care, disparities in access and outcomes, service systems performance, and factors that shape engagement, retention, and continuity of care.

Mechanistically, the award uses the NIH R01 grant mechanism, and it is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applications may include a clinical trial component if appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required. The funding instrument type is a discretionary grant, and the activity areas are categorized under education and health. The CFDA numbers associated with the opportunity are 93.273 and 93.279, indicating alignment with NIH programs that support drug abuse and related behavioral health research.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories as stated); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects an intent to draw in diverse research teams and institutions with access to relevant datasets and the capacity to conduct rigorous secondary analyses.

In terms of what a strong application looks like under this announcement, the core expectation is a compelling, clearly justified plan to use existing data in a way that meaningfully advances knowledge. Successful projects typically identify a dataset (or multiple datasets that can be linked or compared), articulate the public health significance of the questions being asked, and propose analytic approaches capable of producing credible causal or mechanistic insights, strong descriptive epidemiology, or actionable implementation and services findings. Because the FOA stresses maximizing the potential of existing datasets, applicants generally need to show that the data source has sufficient measurement quality, sample size, diversity, and longitudinal or contextual depth (when relevant) to answer the proposed questions, while also addressing privacy, data access permissions, and any limitations such as missing data, measurement gaps, or potential biases.

The opportunity was created on January 10, 2022, and the original closing date listed is November 15, 2024. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source details, which usually means applicants should rely on NIH R01 budget norms and FOA-specific instructions in the full announcement and related NIH policy pages when planning budgets and project scope.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Accelerating the Pace of Drug Abuse Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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