International Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse and Addiction Research (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 065

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 065

The International Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse and Addiction Research (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity (NIH/NIDA; FOA number PA-18-065; CFDA 93.279) is a discretionary grant program designed to support small, targeted research projects that depend on collaboration with partners or conditions outside the United States. The core purpose is to speed progress in drug abuse and addiction science by leveraging unique international advantages, such as access to specialized expertise, distinctive datasets or research infrastructure, hard-to-reach or particularly informative populations, or environmental and policy settings that cannot be replicated domestically. Proposed projects are expected to clearly align with the mission of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and when possible, connect to NIDA's international scientific priority areas referenced on NIDA's website. Even though priority topics can shift from year to year, the announcement highlights examples that have been emphasized in past cycles, including research at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and drug abuse (prevention, initiation, and treatment), studies on nicotine and tobacco initiation and treatment especially among vulnerable groups (children, adolescents, pregnant women, and people with co-morbid disorders), and work on the neuroscience of marijuana and cannabinoids as well as the real-world impacts of changing marijuana laws and policies.

The mechanism used here is the NIH R03 Small Grant, which is built for discrete, well-defined projects that can realistically be completed within a two-year period with limited funding. In practical terms, this FOA is a fit for research that is tightly scoped and designed to answer a specific question or establish early evidence that can justify a later, larger grant. The FOA explicitly notes that R03 awards can support several common project types: pilot or feasibility studies, secondary analyses of existing datasets, small self-contained research projects, development or refinement of research methods, and development of new research technologies. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation means applicants may propose studies that include a clinical trial, but they are not required to do so; both trial and non-trial projects may be appropriate as long as they fit the R03 scale, timeframe, and NIDA priorities.

A defining feature of this opportunity is the expectation of meaningful international collaboration or reliance on international settings and resources. Rather than funding generic addiction research that happens to include a foreign site, the FOA is aimed at projects where the international element is a scientific advantage: for example, a policy change occurring in another country that creates a natural experiment, a population with unique exposure patterns or risk factors, a setting with different healthcare delivery structures relevant to treatment implementation, or access to specialized scientific capacity and talent. The emphasis is on using these special opportunities to accelerate discovery, strengthen the evidence base, and generate findings that matter for drug abuse and addiction research broadly, including implications for prevention, treatment, services, and policy.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Applicants may include state, county, 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; Native American tribal organizations and tribal governments that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities including foreign organizations. This wide eligibility is consistent with the FOA's international collaboration theme and supports partnerships that can be led by, or substantially involve, organizations outside the United States.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with NIDA as the relevant institute for scientific alignment. The opportunity was created on 2017-11-15, and the original closing date listed in the source information is 2018-05-07. The announcement format indicates it is a grant funding instrument within the education and health activity category. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source excerpt, the R03 mechanism generally implies smaller budgets and a limited project period, with reviewers typically looking for strong justification that the research goals can be achieved efficiently within two years.

In summary, this FOA funds compact, high-impact international research collaborations in drug abuse and addiction science, especially projects that gain their scientific edge from overseas populations, settings, resources, or policy environments. It is best suited for pilots, feasibility work, secondary data analyses, method or technology development, and other focused studies that can be completed quickly and used to propel the field forward or lay groundwork for larger-scale research, with optional inclusion of clinical trials where appropriate.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "International Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse and Addiction Research (R03 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 2017-11-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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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