Alcohol Use Disorders: Behavioral Treatment, Services and Recovery Research (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 202

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 202

The grant opportunity titled "Alcohol Use Disorders: Behavioral Treatment, Services and Recovery Research (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA 18 202) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to support early-stage, exploratory, or developmental research focused on alcohol use disorders (AUD). Using the R21 mechanism, the FOA is geared toward projects that can generate new ideas, pilot data, or proof-of-concept findings that may later justify larger-scale studies. The announcement also notes that clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose studies involving human participants and interventions if appropriate, but they are not required to do so.

The scientific focus centers on three broad and connected areas: behavioral treatment for AUD, the real-world delivery of AUD services, and the processes and outcomes associated with recovery. On the treatment side, the FOA is interested in research that advances understanding of behavioral interventions for alcohol problems, which can include testing new approaches, adapting existing evidence-based practices for different populations or settings, identifying active ingredients of treatment, improving engagement and retention, or studying how treatment works and for whom it works best. On the services and systems side, the FOA explicitly highlights organizational, financial, and management factors that either help or hinder the delivery of alcohol-related services. That emphasis points to health services research questions such as how clinics, community programs, or healthcare systems implement AUD care; what staffing models, workflows, reimbursement structures, or leadership practices support high-quality delivery; what barriers prevent uptake of proven practices; and how policy and financing conditions shape access, continuity, and quality. The recovery component broadens the scope beyond acute treatment episodes, encouraging research on recovery as a phenomenon, which may include trajectories of change over time, maintenance of gains, relapse and remission patterns, recovery supports, and the social, behavioral, and service-related conditions that sustain long-term improvement.

From an applicant eligibility standpoint, the program is intentionally broad. Eligible applicants include many types of U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township governments; special district governments), education entities (independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education), tribal entities (federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other unspecified eligible entities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal government agencies; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects the practical reality that meaningful AUD treatment and recovery research often happens in diverse settings, including community programs, healthcare systems, tribal communities, and international contexts.

In terms of funding parameters, the award instrument is a grant, and the activity category is health (CFDA 93.273). The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $200,000. The original closing date shown is 2018-09-07, and the FOA creation date is 2017-11-06, indicating the posting is from that period. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided source data.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at strengthening the evidence base for how behavioral treatments for alcohol use disorders can be improved, how AUD services can be delivered more effectively in real-world systems, and how recovery can be better understood and supported over time. It is particularly relevant for applicants who want to study not only individual-level treatment effects, but also the organizational and financing realities that determine whether effective AUD care actually reaches people and is sustained in routine practice.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alcohol Use Disorders: Behavioral Treatment, Services and Recovery Research (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.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-09-07. (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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