Research on Comparative Effectiveness and Implementation of HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional) | PAS 18 557

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS 18 557

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity PAS 18 557, titled "Research on Comparative Effectiveness and Implementation of HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional)," supports research aimed at improving how alcohol-related interventions are selected, delivered, and scaled for people living with HIV. The grant is motivated by the well-documented reality that HIV-positive individuals who drink alcohol, especially those with unhealthy or heavy use, face higher risks of missing medications, experiencing faster disease progression, encountering drug toxicities and other complications such as organ damage, and struggling to maintain viral suppression. These outcomes increase the likelihood of HIV transmission and contribute to preventable illness and early mortality, which makes alcohol use a serious and persistent barrier to successful HIV prevention and care.

A key emphasis of this opportunity is that the science and tools available to researchers and clinicians have advanced, creating new ways to strengthen HIV and alcohol-focused implementation research. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of developments such as newer pharmacologic agents, more informative biomarkers (including alcohol use and inflammation markers), and technology platforms like internet-based interventions, mobile health tools, and other digital approaches that can support screening, monitoring, engagement, and adherence. The broader idea is to move beyond simply showing that an intervention can work in ideal conditions, and instead generate practical evidence about what works best, for whom, and under which real-world circumstances across the spectrum of alcohol use severity and patterns.

The solicitation is organized around two main research directions, and applicants may address one or both. The first topic focuses on comparative effectiveness research, meaning studies that directly compare interventions or strategies to determine which approaches yield better outcomes in real settings. Within this topic, NIH is looking for research that clarifies factors tied to early detection of alcohol problems, successful patient engagement and retention in both alcohol and HIV care, and the ability to achieve and sustain optimal treatment responses. This includes examining how outcomes differ across diverse clinical environments and populations, and identifying patient-level and provider-level characteristics that influence which strategies are most effective.

The second topic emphasizes implementation approaches, specifically modeling and testing different ways to improve the uptake, delivery, and scale-up of interventions that already have evidence behind them. Here, the goal is to understand and overcome the real barriers that prevent effective alcohol-related services from being consistently integrated into HIV care. Proposed work can focus on organizational, financial, and structural issues that either support or block implementation, such as staffing models, clinic workflows, reimbursement and funding constraints, training and supervision needs, referral systems, and the broader service landscape linking HIV care to substance use treatment. Research under this topic is also intended to reduce HIV transmission and slow disease progression by improving how consistently patients receive effective alcohol interventions as part of routine HIV care.

The overall purpose of the program is to generate findings that can guide clinical decision-making and health system choices, so that evidence-based alcohol interventions are implemented in ways that genuinely improve prevention, care, and long-term health outcomes for people living with HIV. The R01 mechanism allows for substantial, multi-year research projects, and clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants can propose clinical trials when appropriate but are not required to do so.

In terms of basic administrative details, this is a discretionary grant program in the health category (CFDA 93.273) administered by NIH. The listed award ceiling is $500,000. The original closing date shown in the source information is 2020-05-07, and the opportunity was created on 2018-01-02. Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), along with tribal governments and tribal organizations. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicants including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based and community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities and regional organizations, signaling an interest in diverse settings and communities where HIV and alcohol use intersect.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research on Comparative Effectiveness and Implementation of HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-01-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-07. (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 $500,000.00 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.

Apply for PAS 18 557

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