Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 22 031
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the HEAL (Helping to End Addictions Long-term) Initiative, released this discretionary grant opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-22-031. It is an R01 research grant aimed at accelerating the early stages of medication development for opioid-related conditions by backing projects that identify new, druggable biological targets and generate optimizable research probes. The core idea is to expand the pipeline of potential medications that could ultimately help prevent and treat opioid use disorders (OUD), reduce opioid overdose risk, and address the increasingly common reality of opioid-polysubstance use comorbidities.
The scientific focus is on discovery and preclinical-enabling work rather than testing interventions in people. The "clinical trial not allowed" designation signals that the supported studies should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH, meaning applicants should propose research that advances target identification, validation, and probe/lead discovery or optimization without moving into prospective human intervention studies. Within that boundary, the FOA is positioned to support research that could inform safe and effective therapeutics across the entire opioid addiction cycle. That cycle is described broadly in the announcement, spanning progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose. In practice, that framing encourages applicants to think beyond any single symptom or stage and instead propose targets and molecular approaches that could meaningfully change outcomes at one or more points along that trajectory.
Programmatically, this FOA sits within the HEAL Initiative's medication development priorities, which are oriented toward speeding the creation of new treatment options and reducing the public health burden of opioids. The opportunity explicitly emphasizes two linked deliverables: first, the identification of "druggable" new targets (meaning targets that are realistically amenable to modulation by a therapeutic modality such as small molecules, peptides, biologics, or other approaches), and second, the discovery of "optimizable probes" (chemical or biological tools that can be refined and used to interrogate the target and build a credible path toward a medication). The intent is to move the field from basic observations to actionable starting points that can be optimized, characterized, and potentially advanced toward development programs.
In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and city or township governments; 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible groups 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). That wide eligibility reflects an interest in pulling in expertise from multiple sectors, including medicinal chemistry, neurobiology, pharmacology, toxicology, and translational research capabilities that may sit outside traditional academic settings.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as a grant under the health and education activity areas and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.213, 93.279, and 93.846. The original closing date provided in the source data is 2021-10-19, with a creation date of 2021-07-06. The listing also shows an award ceiling of $400,000, indicating an upper bound on the amount expected per award under the terms presented in the summarized data. The agency is NIH, and the FOA is connected to HEAL's broader medication development portfolio, which NIH summarizes publicly on its HEAL medication options page.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a translational discovery mechanism: it is meant to fund the kind of target-focused and probe-generating research that can de-risk later-stage development and ultimately feed a pipeline of candidate therapeutics for OUD, overdose prevention, and opioid-related polysubstance challenges. The emphasis is on building credible starting points for medications by identifying tractable targets and producing tool compounds or probes that can be optimized, rather than running human trials at this stage.Apply for RFA DA 22 031
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.279, 93.846.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-10-19. (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 $400,000.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this NIH grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "HEAL Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the HEAL (Helping to End Addictions Long-term) Initiative.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-DA-22-031.
What type of grant mechanism is this?
This is an NIH R01 research grant.
What is the overall purpose of this funding opportunity?
The goal is to accelerate early-stage medication development for opioid-related conditions by funding projects that identify new, druggable biological targets and generate optimizable research probes. The intent is to expand the pipeline of potential medications that could eventually help prevent and treat opioid use disorders (OUD), reduce opioid overdose risk, and address opioid-polysubstance use comorbidities.
What does "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" mean for this FOA?
It means the supported studies should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH. Applications should focus on discovery and preclinical-enabling research such as target identification, target validation, and probe/lead discovery or optimization, without proposing prospective human intervention studies.
What kinds of research does this FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes translational discovery work, specifically: identifying novel "druggable" targets for opioid-related conditions and producing "optimizable probes" (chemical or biological tools) that can be refined and used to interrogate targets and support a credible path toward medication development.
What are the key deliverables NIH is looking for under this opportunity?
The opportunity highlights two linked deliverables: (1) identification of new, druggable targets, and (2) discovery of optimizable probes that can be further optimized, characterized, and used as actionable starting points for later development.
What does NIH mean by a "druggable" target in this context?
In this FOA, a "druggable" target is one that is realistically amenable to modulation by a therapeutic modality such as small molecules, peptides, biologics, or other approaches.
What does NIH mean by an "optimizable probe"?
An optimizable probe is a chemical or biological research tool that can be refined to better interrogate a target and help establish a credible starting point toward a medication development program.
Which opioid-related conditions and outcomes are in scope?
The FOA is aimed at opioid-related conditions including opioid use disorders (OUD) and opioid overdose, and it also addresses the growing reality of opioid-polysubstance use comorbidities.
Does the FOA encourage work across different stages of addiction and overdose risk?
Yes. The announcement describes an "opioid addiction cycle" spanning progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose. This framing encourages applicants to propose targets and molecular approaches that could improve outcomes at one or more points along that trajectory.
Is this opportunity part of a larger NIH initiative?
Yes. It is part of NIH's HEAL Initiative and sits within HEAL's medication development priorities focused on speeding new treatment options and reducing the public health burden of opioids.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry, as well as foreign organizations (non-U.S. entities).
Which U.S. government entities are eligible applicants?
Eligible U.S. government applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and eligible federal agencies. U.S. territories or possessions are also listed as eligible.
Are higher education institutions eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The FOA also calls out specific institution types such as HBCUs, TCCUs, and other designated serving institutions.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligible applicants include federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments.
Are nonprofits eligible, and do they need 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) are listed as eligible.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are eligible, and small businesses are also eligible.
Are community-based or faith-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out faith-based or community-based organizations as eligible.
Are non-U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are included in the eligible applicant list.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are listed as eligible applicants.
Which designated serving institutions are explicitly mentioned as eligible?
The FOA calls out 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), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
What research capabilities or disciplines does this opportunity aim to draw in?
The broad eligibility and translational focus reflect interest in expertise across sectors, including medicinal chemistry, neurobiology, pharmacology, toxicology, and translational research capabilities that may exist outside traditional academic settings.
What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?
The summarized data lists an award ceiling of $400,000 as an upper bound on the amount expected per award under the terms presented.
Which agency is offering the grant?
The agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What activity areas is the opportunity categorized under?
The opportunity is categorized as a grant under the health and education activity areas.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA numbers are 93.213, 93.279, and 93.846.
What are the key dates shown in the provided listing?
The source data lists a creation date of 2021-07-06 and an original closing date of 2021-10-19.
How should this FOA be understood in the medication development pipeline?
It is best understood as a translational discovery mechanism intended to fund target-focused and probe-generating research that can de-risk later-stage development and feed a pipeline of candidate therapeutics for OUD, overdose prevention, and opioid-related polysubstance challenges.
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