Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 774

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 774

The Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (PA 18-774) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to support early-stage, practical research that lays the groundwork for larger, full-scale health services research effectiveness trials. The central purpose is to help investigators generate the preliminary evidence and operational know-how needed to run more definitive studies that evaluate how substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and related services work in real-world settings. Rather than funding large, fully powered outcome trials right away, this FOA focuses on pilot and preliminary studies that reduce risk and uncertainty by testing whether an approach is workable, acceptable to stakeholders, and useful enough to justify a bigger trial.

Projects supported under this FOA can examine a broad range of approaches intended to improve treatment for drug, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. The scope is not limited to clinical interventions in a traditional sense; it also includes practices and policies that influence how people access care and what care looks like once they are connected. Emphasis is placed on optimizing access to treatment, improving quality and effectiveness, increasing affordability, and strengthening appropriate utilization of services. The FOA also explicitly recognizes that many individuals with substance use disorders have co-occurring medical or mental health conditions, so studies may include service strategies that address SUD treatment alongside comorbid physical and psychiatric disorders, including how systems coordinate care across these needs.

A notable feature of the announcement is that it welcomes both innovative strategies and commonly used real-world practices that are widely implemented but do not yet have a strong evidence base. In other words, applicants are not restricted to brand-new programs; they can also evaluate existing care models, payment approaches, workflow changes, integration strategies, or policy shifts that are already happening in practice but have not been rigorously tested. Because this is an R34 mechanism and “clinical trial optional,” proposals may include a clinical trial component when appropriate, but the larger expectation is that funded work will concentrate on early, preparatory aims that set up a later, more comprehensive effectiveness study.

The FOA provides resources specifically for feasibility-focused activities. That includes assessing feasibility (whether the approach can be delivered as intended in the target setting), acceptability (whether patients, providers, administrators, and other stakeholders find it workable and appropriate), and utility (whether the approach shows enough promise and produces the right kind of operational and preliminary outcome signals to warrant a larger trial). It also supports the usual preparation steps needed before scaling up, such as refining protocols, selecting and validating measures, testing recruitment and retention strategies, building partnerships with service systems, establishing data collection pipelines, and identifying implementation barriers that could derail a larger study.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that commonly participate in health services and community-based research. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township, and 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/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that SUD treatment research often depends on partnerships across healthcare systems, community providers, social services, and diverse institutions serving populations disproportionately affected by substance use and barriers to care.

Key administrative details from the source include the title listed above, funding opportunity number PA 18-774, and NIH as the sponsoring agency. The activity is categorized under education and health, and the CFDA numbers associated with it are 93.273 and 93.279. The announcement lists an award ceiling of $225,000. The source data indicates an original closing date of 2021-05-07 and a creation date of 2018-05-09. Overall, the opportunity is geared toward producing strong pilot evidence and practical trial-readiness information so that promising service interventions, delivery practices, and policy approaches for drug, alcohol, and tobacco use disorder treatment can be tested more rigorously in subsequent, larger-scale effectiveness research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 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 2018-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $225,000.00 in funding.
• 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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