Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 196
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity "Marijuana, Prescription Opioid, or Prescription Benzodiazepine Drug Use Among Older Adults (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-17-196) supports research aimed at closing major gaps in what is known about drug use in later life. Even with decades of progress in substance use disorder science, the specific causes, patterns, and consequences of marijuana use and prescription opioid or benzodiazepine use among older adults are still not well understood. This announcement is designed to fund innovative, rigorous studies focused on adults age 50 and older, with an emphasis on generating insights that can inform prevention, clinical care, and public health responses for aging populations.
A central goal of the opportunity is to encourage research that identifies the determinants, or drivers, of drug use in later life and/or clarifies what happens in the brain and behavior when older adults use these substances. The FOA explicitly invites studies that examine neurobiological alterations in the aging brain, associated behavioral outcomes, and broader public health consequences tied to marijuana, prescription opioids, and prescription benzodiazepines. In practice, this could include research on how aging-related changes in metabolism, brain structure and function, pain processes, sleep, mood, cognition, and comorbid medical conditions may influence substance effects, risk for misuse, and vulnerability to harm. It also supports work that helps distinguish normative medication use from problematic patterns, and that clarifies how use may interact with later-life issues like polypharmacy, chronic illness, falls, impairment, or reduced functional independence.
The initiative highlights two key older-adult populations that are especially important to study. The first includes people with earlier onset drug use who have aged into later adulthood, bringing longer exposure histories and potentially cumulative effects. The second includes people who start using after age 50, which may reflect different triggers such as new pain conditions, insomnia, anxiety, bereavement, social isolation, retirement-related changes, or increased access to prescribed medications or cannabis products. By separating these groups, the FOA signals that timing of initiation matters and that determinants and outcomes may differ substantially depending on whether use began earlier in life or later.
Methodologically, the announcement is deliberately broad and welcomes a wide range of scientific approaches, including basic science, clinical research, and epidemiological studies. This means projects might span laboratory-based work on mechanisms, clinical studies examining patient outcomes and risk profiles, and population-level analyses that characterize trends, disparities, correlates, and consequences across communities and healthcare systems. The intent is to build a more complete picture that links causes to mechanisms and real-world outcomes, rather than limiting funded work to one discipline or level of analysis.
The expected payoff from this program is a stronger evidence base about why older adults use these substances, what risks or protective factors shape that use, and how drug exposure affects the aging brain and behavior. The FOA emphasizes that knowledge gained could help identify risk factors and guide clinical practice, which is particularly relevant for healthcare settings where opioids and benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed and where cannabis use is increasing among older adults. Findings supported by this grant mechanism could inform screening strategies, prescribing and deprescribing practices, risk mitigation approaches, and tailored interventions designed specifically for older populations rather than relying on evidence derived mainly from younger groups.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and governmental entities, such as state, county, city, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), as well as nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) along with small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects an interest in supporting diverse research settings and populations, including groups that may be disproportionately affected or underrepresented in aging and substance use research.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant using the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism, and it falls under the education and health activity category. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.279 and 93.866. The opportunity record indicates an original closing date of 2018-01-24 and a creation date of 2017-03-07, and the award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source details.Apply for PA 17 196
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Marijuana, Prescription Opioid, or Prescription Benzodiazepine Drug Use Among Older Adults (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (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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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PA 17 196) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Marijuana, Prescription Opioid, or Prescription Benzodiazepine Drug Use Among Older Adults (R03) Apply for PA 17 198 Funding Number: PA 17 198 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Marijuana, Prescription Opioid, or Prescription Benzodiazepine Drug Use Among Older Adults (R21) Apply for PA 17 197 Funding Number: PA 17 197 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Inter-organelle Communication in Cancer (R21) Apply for PAR 17 204 Funding Number: PAR 17 204 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Inter-organelle Communication in Cancer (R01) Apply for PAR 17 203 Funding Number: PAR 17 203 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| NIDA Avant-Garde Award Program for HIV/AIDS and Drug Use Research (DP1) Apply for RFA DA 18 001 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research: Translational Tumor Glycomics Laboratories (U01) Apply for PAR 17 206 Funding Number: PAR 17 206 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research: Biological Tumor Glycomics Laboratories (U01) Apply for PAR 17 207 Funding Number: PAR 17 207 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Mechanisms of Alcohol-associated Cancers (R21) Apply for PA 17 219 Funding Number: PA 17 219 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Mechanisms of Alcohol-associated Cancers (R01) Apply for PA 17 220 Funding Number: PA 17 220 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Revision Applications to National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported U01 Awards to Include Research on the NCI's Provocative Questions (U01) Apply for RFA CA 17 020 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 020 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Revision Applications to National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported P01 Awards to Include Research on the NCI's Provocative Questions (P01) Apply for RFA CA 17 021 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 021 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Revision Applications to National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported P50 Awards to Include Research on the NCI's Provocative Questions (P50) Apply for RFA CA 17 022 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 022 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Revision Applications to NCI-supported R01 Awards to Include Research on the NCI's Provocative Questions (R01) Apply for RFA CA 17 019 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Supplements for Validating the Use of Automated Sources of Residential Histories in Cancer Epidemiology Cohorts (Admin Supp) Apply for PA 17 222 Funding Number: PA 17 222 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $125,000 |
| Research Supplements to Promote Sharing Data in Cancer Epidemiology Studies (Admin Supp) Apply for PA 17 224 Funding Number: PA 17 224 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Supplement Opportunity to Support Population-Based Research Studies of Rare Cancers (Admin Supp) Apply for PA 17 223 Funding Number: PA 17 223 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Advancing the Science of Geriatric Palliative Care (R01) Apply for PA 17 225 Funding Number: PA 17 225 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Advancing the Science of Geriatric Palliative Care (R21) Apply for PA 17 226 Funding Number: PA 17 226 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Core Infrastructure and Methodological Research for Cancer Epidemiology Cohorts (U01) Apply for PAR 17 233 Funding Number: PAR 17 233 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $1,250,000 |
| Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Disparities in the U.S. (R21) Apply for PAR 17 235 Funding Number: PAR 17 235 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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