Addiction and Substance Abuse Grants

Substance Abuse Research Grants

In the summer of 2019, the Centers for Disease Control reported the first decline in drug overdose deaths since 1990. However, the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health report found that 1 in 12 American adults (18.7 million) have a substance use disorder. The impacts of substance abuse continue to undermine the strength of our communities and more work needs to be done to combat this issue.

In recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, the Charles Koch Foundation seeks to support research projects (e.g. papers, conferences, workshops, etc.) that explore innovative, community-based solutions that are targeted at destroying the root causes of substance abuse.

To that end, we are actively soliciting proposals for projects to consider innovative solutions that seek to alleviate substance use disorders. Proposals will be accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis.

We are especially interested in research that:

• Addresses innovative ways to help individuals overcome substance use disorders, prevent drug overdoses, and increase the willingness of individuals to seek treatment for substance abuse.
• Explores the root causes of addiction and substance use disorders as well as innovative means to prevent substance abuse by remedying these root causes.
• Addresses the unintended consequences of current approaches to reduce drug overdoses and substance abuse.
• Examines solutions that offer a proactive approach to fighting addiction rather than a reactive approach focusing on treatment and recovery.
• Explores opportunities to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorders and celebrate success in overcoming addiction and substance abuse.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to encourage behavioral intervention development research to test efficacy, conduct clinical trials, examine mechanisms of behavior change, determine dose-response, treatment optimization, and/or ascertain best sequencing of behavioral, combined, sequential, or integrated behavioral and pharmacological drug abuse treatment interventions, including

• interventions for patients with comorbidities;
• drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions;
• drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions that utilize technologies to boost effects and increase implementability and sustainability; 
• interventions to prevent the acquisition or transmission of HIV infection among individuals in drug abuse treatment; 
• interventions to promote adherence to drug abuse treatment, HIV and addiction medications; and 
• interventions to treat substance misuse and chronic pain.

Research of interest includes but is not limited to Stage II and Stage III efficacy research.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to encourage behavioral intervention development research to test efficacy, conduct clinical trials, examine mechanisms of behavior change, determine dose-response, treatment optimization, and/or ascertain best sequencing of behavioral, combined, sequential, or integrated behavioral and pharmacological drug abuse treatment interventions, including interventions for patients with comorbidities;

• drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions;
• drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions that utilize technologies to boost effects and increase implementability and sustainability;
• interventions to prevent the acquisition or transmission of HIV infection among individuals in drug abuse treatment;
• interventions to promote adherence to drug abuse treatment, HIV and addiction medications; and 
• interventions to treat substance misuse and chronic pain.

Research of interest includes but is not limited to Stage I research.

NIH is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in response to the declared public health emergency issued by the Secretary, HHS, for the national opioid crisis. This research is part of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Prevention Initiative, a portfolio of research focused on the prevention of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder funded under NIHs HEAL Initiative. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks to address the urgency and magnitude of the opioid crisis by developing and testing new or adapted interventions to prevent opioid misuse among patients served by community health centers (CHCs), and/or developing and testing implementation strategies for screening and referral to preventive interventions for misuse of opioids and other substances among patients served by CHCs. Research will be supported through exploratory/developmental phase awards (R61/R33) that may not exceed 5 years, allocating up to two years of funding for development of the project and up to four years for a full test of the research aims.

In April 2018, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative or HEAL Initiative, an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Through this initiative, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in partnership with other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices, requests applications for studies designed to develop and test interventions to prevent opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, and co-occurring conditionsby intervening on social determinants of health (SDOH). This initiative aims to build an evidence base for interventions that target malleable factors and conditions affecting the social context. Applications must seek to reduce health inequities in a U.S. population or population subgroup affected by the opioid crisis by studyingthe effects of a theory driven intervention on the prevention of opioid misuse/opioid use disorder and co-occurring conditions. Such conditions could include mental health conditions and/or suicide, and may alsoinclude other substance use and substance use-related outcomes. The research project must examinethe mechanisms by which the interventions exert their effects. Investigators should study interventions that are sustainable and easily taken to scale if effective.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a target of both the HIV virus and substances of abuse. It is a site of entry for HIV infected monocytes and macrophages that can traverse the BBB either paracellularly or transcellularly. HIV viral proteins can also attack astrocytes and tight junctions of BBB directly and compromise its integrity, resulting in the crossing of the virus, as well as abused substances, into the brain. Meanwhile, many substances of abuse cause BBB dysfunction. Because BBB integrity regulates both substances and virus levels in the brain, it is critical to establish the mechanisms by which HIV infection, in combination with substances of abuse, affect BBB function and integrity and their consequences. The purpose of this initiative is to support innovative research that elucidates the roles of HIV and addictive substances in the pathology of BBB. This FOA encourages studies to expand the current understanding of the basic molecular mechanisms underlying virus mobilization across BBB, and pathology of BBB in HIV infection and substance use disorders (SUD). In addition, studies are encouraged to develop and test novel BBB models to assess the delivery of pharmacological and immunotherapies to treat HIV infection and SUD, and to suppress HIV replication in CNS.