The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (UG1 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 19 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 19 008

The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) (UG1 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity, RFA-DA-19-008, is a discretionary federal grant announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health. It uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (UG1), which generally means funded recipients do not operate in isolation; instead, they work in close coordination with NIH program staff and other network partners to carry out shared goals. The overall purpose is to bring additional clinical investigators and research-capable sites into the CTN so the network can respond faster and more effectively to urgent substance use and overdose-related public health needs.

The driving rationale behind the announcement is the ongoing opioid epidemic and the broader overdose death crisis. NIH is emphasizing the need to expand the CTN quickly for two main reasons. First, the network needs more scientific and clinical research capacity, meaning more investigators, more clinical settings, and stronger infrastructure to design and run studies that test prevention, treatment, and service-delivery approaches for substance use disorders in real-world conditions. Second, the network needs better geographic coverage across the United States, with particular attention to regions that have been hit hardest by opioid overdoses. In practical terms, this signals an interest in adding partners that can reach underserved or highly impacted communities and help ensure research findings reflect the populations and health systems most affected by the crisis.

This FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," indicating that applicants may propose work that includes a clinical trial, but a trial is not strictly required for every application. The intent is to strengthen the CTN as a platform for clinical research in drug abuse treatment, which often includes multi-site collaborations, consistent protocols, and the ability to recruit and follow participants across diverse treatment settings. Applicants should expect that participation in a national network will involve meeting common standards for data quality, participant protections, study operations, and coordination with other CTN components.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can contribute to treatment research and implementation in community and healthcare settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other applicant types as allowed under the announcement's additional eligibility guidance. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that substance use disorder treatment and overdose prevention work happens across many systems, from academic medical centers and community clinics to public health agencies and tribal health organizations.

The award ceiling listed is $500,000, and the opportunity anticipated making about six awards. While the announcement does not provide detailed scope elements in the excerpt provided, the combination of a cooperative agreement structure and the CTN mission implies that successful applicants would be expected to contribute to the network's ability to conduct rigorous, practice-relevant studies, help recruit and retain participants, and support dissemination of evidence-based practices. The activity category is listed under Education and Health, and the CFDA number associated with the program is 93.279.

Key dates included a creation date of September 26, 2018, with an original closing date of December 14, 2018. Overall, the funding opportunity is best understood as a targeted expansion of a national clinical research network focused on drug abuse treatment, designed to increase research capacity and ensure the network is positioned where the overdose crisis is most severe, enabling faster generation of evidence and more representative, real-world clinical research outcomes.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (UG1 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 14, 2018. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA DA 19 008

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