NIDA Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15, Clinical Trials Required) | PA 18 627

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 627

The NIDA Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program (R15, Clinical Trials Required) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity designed to broaden participation in NIH-supported research by directing resources to colleges and universities that educate many future scientists but historically have not been major recipients of NIH funding. The overall idea is to help faculty at these institutions run solid, focused research projects that can meaningfully contribute to biomedical and behavioral science while also building local research capacity. A central goal is workforce development at the institutional level: the award is meant to draw undergraduate and/or graduate students into hands-on research experiences, strengthen mentoring and research training opportunities, and improve the research environment at the applicant institution so it can sustain more competitive research activity over time.

This specific announcement is issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), so proposed projects must align with NIDA program interests, meaning the research should relate to substance use, addiction, prevention, treatment, recovery, and other drug abuse related biomedical and behavioral topics that fit NIDA priorities. A key requirement of this particular R15 announcement is that the application must include at least one clinical trial. In practical terms, applicants cannot submit a purely observational or preclinical project under this announcement; at least one study component has to meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial, which generally involves prospective assignment of human participants to an intervention to evaluate effects on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.

The award supports small-scale research projects rather than large, multi-site efforts. The funding instrument is a grant, and the opportunity is categorized under education and health (CFDA 93.279). The listed award ceiling is $300,000, which signals the program’s intent to fund contained, well-scoped projects that are feasible for institutions with more limited NIH research infrastructure, while still being substantial enough to produce publishable results, generate preliminary data, and strengthen future competitiveness for larger NIH mechanisms.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities, but the emphasis is on domestic educational institutions that are not major NIH grant recipients. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and a wide range of governmental bodies (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as federally recognized tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations. The announcement also explicitly calls out categories of institutions and organizations that are welcome to apply, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and eligible federal agencies. Both nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), as well as small businesses and other entities listed in the eligibility field, may be able to apply if they meet the program’s requirements and institutional eligibility expectations.

Foreign involvement is tightly restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. In addition, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed under this opportunity, which effectively limits the work to domestic settings and organizations.

The opportunity number is PA-18-627, created on February 2, 2018, with an original closing date of January 10, 2019. While the dates provided reflect the original posting timeline, the core structure of the announcement is clear: NIDA is using the AREA (R15) mechanism to encourage smaller, education-centered institutions to conduct NIDA-relevant research that includes at least one clinical trial, involves students in meaningful research roles, and leaves the institution stronger and more research-active than it was before the award.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDA Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15, Clinical Trials Required)" 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 2018-02-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-10. (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 $300,000.00 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 PA 18 627

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: