NIDA REI: Racial Equity Visionary Award Program for Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Substance Use and Racial Equity (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 23 031

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 23 031

The NIDA REI: Racial Equity Visionary Award Program for Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Substance Use and Racial Equity (RFA-DA-23-031) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity that uses the NIH DP1 mechanism to back exceptionally creative, early career investigators who want to pursue bold, high-impact ideas focused on racial equity in the context of substance use and substance use disorder (SUD). It is designed for projects that do more than incrementally add knowledge; the goal is to generate breakthroughs that meaningfully reduce inequities in substance use-related harms and the medical and social consequences that follow. The opportunity is listed as "clinical trial optional," meaning applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials, but they are not required to do so if their research approach does not call for it.

At the core of the program is an emphasis on tackling persistent or stubborn drivers of disparities across population groups. Applicants can come from many disciplines and research traditions, but the proposed work is expected to confront the kinds of structural, systemic, or long-standing challenges that continue to produce unequal outcomes related to substance use, overdose, treatment access and quality, recovery supports, criminal-legal involvement, co-occurring health conditions, and broader social consequences. The program is explicitly framed around advancing equity, so strong applications will typically connect the scientific aims to real-world inequities, explain why those inequities persist, and lay out a compelling strategy for generating knowledge or interventions that can shift outcomes at scale.

Eligibility is centered on higher education institutions, including public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, and it specifically highlights Minority Serving Institutions as key applicants. The opportunity calls out several MSI categories as eligible, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). In addition to these MSI categories, the eligible applicant types listed include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible organizations as permitted under the announcement.

The announcement also clarifies important limits related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means a U.S.-based applicant can include certain scientifically justified foreign elements (such as specific performance sites, collaborations, populations, or resources) when they are integral to the project and compliant with NIH policy.

Administratively, the opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health under the Health and Education activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.279. The funding instrument type is a grant under a discretionary program. The original closing date listed is 2024-11-14. The source data provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full funding opportunity announcement for budget parameters, project period expectations, and any institute-specific guidance tied to DP1 awards, including how NIDA defines early career status and what review criteria are emphasized for this visionary, high-risk/high-reward style of award.

Overall, this program is aimed at empowering emerging investigators at Minority Serving Institutions to pursue ambitious research that can change how the field understands and addresses racial inequities connected to substance use and SUD. Successful projects will likely be those that identify a high-leverage problem driving disparities, propose an innovative and credible strategy to address it, and articulate a clear path to producing knowledge, tools, or approaches that can translate into more equitable outcomes for communities most affected by substance use-related harms.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDA REI: Racial Equity Visionary Award Program for Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Substance Use and Racial Equity (DP1 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 2022-08-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for RFA DA 23 031

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