Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 070

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 070

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity "Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PA 18-070) supports exploratory, high-impact research aimed at improving how prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for substance use (drug, alcohol, and tobacco) are delivered. The central goal is to generate practical evidence that helps health systems, providers, and communities deliver services that are higher quality, more efficient, and more effective. Because it uses the NIH R21 mechanism, the emphasis is typically on early-stage, innovative, or proof-of-concept projects that can rapidly test new ideas, methods, or approaches and lay the groundwork for larger future studies. Clinical trials are optional under this announcement, meaning applicants can propose studies with or without clinical trial components as long as the work fits the health services and economic research focus.

The scope of projects encouraged under this FOA is broad but clearly centered on real-world service delivery. It calls for rigorous health services research that examines how care is organized, accessed, financed, implemented, and sustained across settings that address substance use prevention and treatment. A major theme is quality improvement, including clinical quality improvement efforts that test ways to enhance patient outcomes, continuity of care, or adherence to evidence-based practices. Another key area is quality improvement in services organization and management, which can include studying staffing models, workflows, coordination across agencies, the use of technology to support care delivery, or strategies that strengthen recovery support systems. The announcement also explicitly invites implementation research, which focuses on understanding and improving the adoption, integration, and long-term sustainment of evidence-based interventions in real-world settings, including identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation.

In addition to quality and implementation, the FOA strongly encourages economic and cost studies. These can include analyses of cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, budget impact, or broader economic implications tied to prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Projects may assess how different payment models, coverage policies, resource allocation strategies, or service delivery designs affect both costs and outcomes. This is particularly relevant for decision-makers who need evidence not only that an intervention works, but that it is feasible and economically sound in the environments where it would be deployed. The FOA also highlights methodological development, inviting projects that create or improve research methods, analytic strategies, and measurement tools used in studying substance use service systems. Examples could include improved instruments for measuring quality of care, implementation fidelity, patient-centered outcomes, service utilization patterns, or recovery supports, as well as novel analytic approaches for evaluating complex, system-level interventions.

Eligibility for this opportunity is expansive, reflecting the wide range of organizations involved in substance use prevention and treatment. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also specifically notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This inclusive eligibility structure signals that NIH is interested in research grounded in diverse communities and service settings, including those that are often under-resourced or disproportionately affected by substance-related harms.

From the published opportunity data, this is a discretionary grant with activity categories in education and health and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.273 and 93.279. The listed award ceiling is $200,000. The opportunity record shows an original closing date of May 7, 2018, and a creation date of November 15, 2017, which indicates the specific posting is from that cycle; applicants would typically need to confirm whether the announcement remains active through NIH systems or whether it has been reissued under an updated FOA number. Overall, the funding opportunity is designed to stimulate actionable, system-relevant research that can directly improve the quality, reach, efficiency, and economic value of services addressing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use across prevention, treatment, and recovery.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R21 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 2017-11-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-05-07. (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 $200,000.00 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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