Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 291
Apply for PAR 16 291
- The HHS-NIH11 in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrative Research on Polysubstance Abuse and Addiction (R21/R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273, 93.279, 93.399,.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 26, 2016 and posted on May 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 07, 2019. (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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
Integrative Research on Polysubstance Abuse and Addiction (R21/R33) (PAR-16-291) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity issued under the Collaborative Research on Addiction (CRAN), a partnership that brings together NIAAA, NIDA, and NCI. The program is centered on polysubstance use, meaning the use of more than one substance (for example alcohol plus opioids, nicotine plus stimulants, or other combinations), and it is designed to push the field beyond single-drug models by encouraging research that directly examines how combined substance use changes the brain, behavior, and health outcomes.
The FOA has two connected goals. First, it aims to clarify what is unique about polysubstance use compared to single substance use. This includes identifying neurobiological alterations linked to using multiple substances, the behavioral patterns that accompany those alterations (such as escalation of use, craving, withdrawal profiles, impaired decision-making, relapse dynamics, and risk-taking), and the downstream public health consequences (such as overdose risk, disease burden, treatment outcomes, and broader societal impacts). A key emphasis is comparative insight: applicants are expected to help determine where polysubstance use produces additive effects, synergistic effects, or entirely distinct mechanisms relative to single-drug exposure.
Second, the FOA is meant to strengthen truly integrative polysubstance research across a translational pipeline. It explicitly encourages projects that connect basic animal research, controlled human laboratory studies, and population-level epidemiology. Rather than supporting work that stays in a single silo, the announcement is built to promote cross-stage integration, so that findings at one level can inform and refine questions at another level, improving both mechanistic understanding and real-world relevance.
To make that integration practical, NIH uses a Phased Innovation mechanism (R21/R33). The R21 phase functions as an early, exploratory stage where investigators can generate critical preliminary findings in any one part of the translational spectrum (animal, human lab, or epidemiology). The R33 phase is then used to rapidly extend and integrate those findings into a different translational stage, either moving forward toward applied or population questions, or back toward mechanistic validation. The intent is bi-directional exchange: for example, epidemiological patterns can be tested mechanistically in animal models, while mechanistic discoveries can be examined for clinical or public health significance in human studies and larger datasets. This design is meant to shorten the typical lag between discovery and translation by structuring the project so integration is not optional or left for a future grant.
In practical terms, competitive projects under this FOA would be expected to do more than document that polysubstance use is common or harmful. They would aim to explain how and why particular combinations of substances produce specific neurobehavioral outcomes, and then connect that explanation to measurable human or population consequences. Because CRAN includes NCI as well as NIAAA and NIDA, the opportunity also signals interest in outcomes that intersect with cancer-related risks and comorbidities where relevant, especially when substance combinations affect behaviors or biological pathways linked to cancer burden.
The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicant organizations. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special districts), tribal governments and tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories), and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). This broad eligibility is consistent with the FOA's translational scope, since meaningful polysubstance research can be housed in universities, health systems, research institutes, community-based organizations, and other entities with the appropriate infrastructure.
Key administrative details in the source information include the agency listing as HHS-NIH, the posting and creation date of May 26, 2016, and a closing date of September 7, 2019. The listed award ceiling is $200,000. CFDA program numbers associated with the opportunity are 93.273, 93.279, 93.399, reflecting the involvement of multiple NIH institutes and the cross-cutting nature of addiction-related research.
Overall, this FOA is essentially a call for integrated, stepwise research that treats polysubstance use as a distinct scientific problem, not just a complication layered onto single-drug addiction. It uses the R21/R33 structure to push investigators to generate an initial set of findings and then deliberately connect those findings to another translational level, so that mechanistic insights and real-world patterns can inform each other within the same funded project.
FAQs: Integrative Research on Polysubstance Abuse and Addiction (R21/R33) (PAR-16-291)
What is the name and identifier of this NIH funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Integrative Research on Polysubstance Abuse and Addiction (R21/R33) and the identifier is PAR-16-291.
Which agency is offering this grant?
The listing agency is HHS-NIH (the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
What collaboration or program is this FOA associated with?
This FOA is issued under the Collaborative Research on Addiction (CRAN), a partnership that brings together NIAAA, NIDA, and NCI.
What does "polysubstance use" mean in this FOA?
Polysubstance use means using more than one substance, such as alcohol plus opioids, nicotine plus stimulants, or other combinations.
What is the overall purpose of this FOA?
The FOA is designed to move the field beyond single-drug models by supporting research that directly examines how combined substance use changes the brain, behavior, and health outcomes.
What are the two connected goals described in the FOA?
First, the FOA aims to clarify what is unique about polysubstance use compared to single substance use (including neurobiological, behavioral, and public health differences). Second, it aims to strengthen truly integrative polysubstance research across a translational pipeline (linking basic, human, and population-level work).
What kinds of differences between polysubstance use and single substance use is NIH looking for?
The FOA emphasizes comparative insight, including whether polysubstance use produces additive effects, synergistic effects, or entirely distinct mechanisms relative to single-drug exposure.
What neurobiological topics are highlighted as relevant?
The FOA highlights identifying neurobiological alterations linked to using multiple substances, and tying those alterations to behavioral patterns and downstream outcomes.
What behavioral outcomes are specifically mentioned?
Examples include escalation of use, craving, withdrawal profiles, impaired decision-making, relapse dynamics, and risk-taking.
What public health consequences does the FOA point to?
The FOA mentions outcomes such as overdose risk, disease burden, treatment outcomes, and broader societal impacts.
What does the FOA mean by "integrative" or "translational pipeline" research?
It encourages projects that connect multiple stages, including basic animal research, controlled human laboratory studies, and population-level epidemiology, so findings at one level can inform and refine questions at another level.
Does the FOA support projects that stay within a single research silo?
The FOA is built to promote cross-stage integration rather than work that stays in a single silo. The intent is to connect findings across at least two translational stages within the same project.
What grant mechanism is used and why?
NIH uses a Phased Innovation mechanism (R21/R33) to make integration practical. The structure is meant to shorten the lag between discovery and translation by making integration a built-in expectation rather than something left for a future grant.
What happens during the R21 phase?
The R21 phase is an early, exploratory stage where investigators generate critical preliminary findings in any one part of the translational spectrum (animal, human lab, or epidemiology).
What happens during the R33 phase?
The R33 phase is used to rapidly extend and integrate the R21 findings into a different translational stage, either moving forward toward applied or population questions or back toward mechanistic validation.
Does the FOA require bi-directional translation (bench-to-population and population-to-bench)?
Yes, the intent is bi-directional exchange. For example, epidemiological patterns can be tested mechanistically in animal models, and mechanistic discoveries can be examined for clinical or public health significance in human studies and larger datasets.
What would a competitive project look like based on the FOA description?
Competitive projects would be expected to do more than document that polysubstance use is common or harmful. They would aim to explain how and why particular combinations of substances produce specific neurobehavioral outcomes and connect that explanation to measurable human or population consequences.
How does the involvement of NCI influence the kinds of outcomes NIH is interested in?
Because CRAN includes NCI along with NIAAA and NIDA, the opportunity signals interest in outcomes that intersect with cancer-related risks and comorbidities where relevant, especially when substance combinations affect behaviors or biological pathways linked to cancer burden.
Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); and for-profit organizations (including small businesses).
Why is eligibility so broad for this FOA?
The broad eligibility aligns with the FOA's translational scope, since polysubstance research can be housed in universities, health systems, research institutes, community-based organizations, and other entities with appropriate infrastructure.
What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
What are the key dates included in the source information?
The posting and creation date is May 26, 2016, and the closing date is September 7, 2019.
What CFDA program numbers are associated with this FOA?
The CFDA program numbers listed are 93.273, 93.279, and 93.399.
What is the main scientific shift this FOA is trying to encourage?
The FOA treats polysubstance use as a distinct scientific problem, not just a complication layered onto single-drug addiction, and it funds stepwise research designed to link mechanism and real-world patterns within the same project.
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