Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 14 015
Apply for RFA DA 14 015
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Institute on Drug Abuse National Early Warning System (NEWS) Coordinating Center (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 12, 2013 and posted on Sep 12, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 3, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $900,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $900,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) County governments Independent school districts Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Special district governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Institute on Drug Abuse National Early Warning System (NEWS) Coordinating Center (U01) opportunity, issued by the National Institutes of Health under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-14-015, is a discretionary cooperative agreement designed to fund a single Coordinating Center focused on tracking and interpreting emerging and ongoing drug abuse trends across selected communities. The core purpose is to strengthen early detection of shifts in drug use patterns, including the appearance of new synthetic substances and other rapidly evolving threats, by improving how community-level information is gathered, standardized, analyzed, and shared. Because this is a cooperative agreement (U01), the project is expected to involve substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from the funding agency compared with a standard research grant, with the Coordinating Center operating in close collaboration with NIDA.
A major emphasis of the announcement is building a coherent, cross-community monitoring system. The Coordinating Center is expected to establish and refine key indicators that can be used at the community level to detect changes in drug abuse trends, and to ensure those indicators are harmonized across the participating sites. In practice, this means developing common definitions, formats, and methods so that data coming from different communities can be compared and interpreted consistently. Beyond simply choosing indicators, the Center is responsible for harmonizing how indicators are presented and analyzed, which is critical for producing reliable, comparable trend reports that can support public health and public safety decision-making.
Another central requirement is expanding and modernizing how information is collected. The Coordinating Center must identify and develop novel data sources, including internet-based data, and secure relevant data feeds from multiple systems. This reflects the reality that emerging drug threats can appear first in nontraditional places, such as online marketplaces, social media discussions, web forums, poison control calls, emergency department signals, law enforcement or forensic laboratory findings, and other near-real-time sources. The intent is for the Center to go beyond conventional, slower surveillance streams and incorporate newer data acquisition strategies that can provide earlier warning signals.
The opportunity also calls for robust cross-site analyses using the harmonized Coordinating Center dataset. Rather than leaving analyses siloed within individual communities, the Center is expected to combine and analyze data across sites to identify broader patterns, geographic spread, and commonalities or differences in local drug markets and harms. This cross-community analytic role is part of what makes the Coordinating Center a hub: it is not only collecting and standardizing information, but also generating integrated findings that can reveal regional or national-level trends and help contextualize what any single community is observing.
Dissemination is treated as a major deliverable, not an afterthought. The Coordinating Center must develop and carry out a dissemination and publication plan, including maintaining a website that shares data products and findings. The goal is to ensure that the intelligence generated through NEWS is accessible and usable for stakeholders who need timely information, such as researchers, clinicians, treatment providers, public health agencies, policymakers, and community partners. This implies regular reporting, clear data visualization and interpretation, and a structured approach to publications and other public-facing outputs that translate complex surveillance data into actionable insights.
A key organizing feature is the creation of an Early Warning Network made up of local experts who understand drug abuse data in the selected communities, along with NIDA-supported community-based researchers. This network is intended to support ongoing monitoring and interpretation, which matters because surveillance signals can be noisy or ambiguous without local context. By engaging practitioners and researchers who are close to the data and the realities on the ground, the Coordinating Center can improve the validity of interpretations, quickly validate or challenge emerging signals, and better understand why trends are shifting in particular places.
Operationally, the Coordinating Center is also responsible for administrative, logistical, and operational support needed to make the harmonization and dissemination effort work day to day. That includes the practical infrastructure for coordinating across communities, managing data use and sharing processes, supporting network communications, maintaining analytic workflows, and ensuring the initiative runs smoothly as a sustained system rather than a one-time study.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, the FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $900,000, with an award ceiling of $900,000 and no cost sharing or matching requirement. The posting and creation date were September 12, 2013, with an original and current closing date of December 3, 2013, and an archive date of January 3, 2014. The activity categories align with education and health, and the CFDA program reference is 93.279 (Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs).
Eligibility for this opportunity was broad across U.S.-based organizations, reflecting the interdisciplinary and applied nature of early warning work. Eligible applicants included state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); small businesses; and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The FOA also explicitly recognized additional categories such as faith-based and community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institutions, among others. At the same time, non-U.S. entities were not eligible, and foreign components were not allowed, including non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, consistent with NIH policy restrictions noted in the announcement.
Overall, the NEWS Coordinating Center U01 was framed as a national hub for early warning intelligence on drug abuse trends, combining standardized community indicators, innovative data sourcing (including online data), cross-site analytics, and a strong dissemination infrastructure. The expectation was that the funded Center would not just collect information, but actively translate it into timely, harmonized, and publicly communicated findings supported by an expert network capable of interpreting rapid changes in the drug landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the National Early Warning System (NEWS) Coordinating Center (U01) opportunity?
This is a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funding opportunity to support a single Coordinating Center that tracks and interprets emerging and ongoing drug abuse trends across selected communities. The focus is on improving early detection of shifts in drug use patterns, including new synthetic substances and other rapidly evolving threats, by strengthening how community-level information is gathered, standardized, analyzed, and shared.
Who is offering this grant and what is the funding opportunity number?
The opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through NIDA, under Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) RFA-DA-14-015.
What type of award is this (U01), and what does that mean for how the project will run?
This is a discretionary cooperative agreement (U01). Compared with a standard research grant, a U01 includes substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from the funding agency. The Coordinating Center is expected to operate in close collaboration with NIDA rather than functioning entirely independently.
How many awards are expected under this opportunity?
The FOA is designed to fund a single Coordinating Center.
What is the main purpose of the Coordinating Center?
The core purpose is to strengthen early detection of changes in drug abuse trends across selected communities. This includes detecting emerging threats (such as new synthetic substances) and improving the consistency and usefulness of information by standardizing indicators, modernizing data collection, conducting cross-site analyses, and actively disseminating findings.
What does "early warning" mean in the context of this program?
In this FOA, early warning refers to identifying shifts in drug use patterns and drug-related threats as quickly as possible, including rapidly evolving substances and local changes that may spread across communities. The Coordinating Center is intended to improve how quickly signals are detected, interpreted, and shared.
What are "community-level indicators," and what is the Coordinating Center expected to do with them?
Community-level indicators are measures used within communities to detect changes in drug abuse trends. The Coordinating Center is expected to establish and refine key indicators and ensure they are harmonized across participating sites so information from different communities can be compared consistently.
What does it mean to "harmonize" indicators across communities?
Harmonization means developing and applying common definitions, formats, and methods across sites. The Coordinating Center must ensure indicators are not only selected, but also presented and analyzed in consistent ways so trend reports are reliable and comparable across communities.
Why is cross-community standardization emphasized so heavily?
The FOA emphasizes building a coherent, cross-community monitoring system. Without standardized indicators and shared methods, data from different communities can be difficult to compare, which limits the ability to interpret broader patterns or identify geographic spread and differences in local drug markets and harms.
What kinds of data sources does the FOA expect the Coordinating Center to use?
The FOA calls for expanding and modernizing information collection by identifying and developing novel data sources, including internet-based data, and securing relevant data feeds from multiple systems. Examples described include online marketplaces, social media discussions, web forums, poison control calls, emergency department signals, law enforcement or forensic laboratory findings, and other near-real-time sources.
Does the opportunity require the Coordinating Center to use internet-based or online data?
Yes. A central requirement described in the opportunity is to identify and develop novel data sources, including internet-based data, reflecting that emerging drug threats may first appear in nontraditional and near-real-time sources.
What is meant by "data feeds from multiple systems" in this FOA?
The FOA anticipates the Coordinating Center securing ongoing streams of relevant information from more than one source (for example, sources that may reflect health, public safety, online activity, or laboratory findings). The intent is to move beyond slower conventional surveillance and incorporate faster, earlier warning signals.
What is the Coordinating Center expected to do with the collected data?
The Center is expected to standardize and combine data across sites, perform robust cross-site analyses, and generate integrated findings that can reveal broader patterns, geographic spread, and similarities or differences across communities.
How is cross-site analysis different from community-specific reporting?
Cross-site analysis combines harmonized data across participating communities to identify broader trends and spread that may not be visible within a single site. The FOA emphasizes that analyses should not remain siloed within individual communities; the Coordinating Center functions as a hub for integrated, multi-community interpretation.
What dissemination activities are required?
Dissemination is a major deliverable. The Coordinating Center must develop and carry out a dissemination and publication plan, including maintaining a website that shares data products and findings. The goal is timely, usable intelligence for stakeholders such as researchers, clinicians, treatment providers, public health agencies, policymakers, and community partners.
Is maintaining a website part of the required work?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes maintaining a website as part of sharing data products and findings under the dissemination and publication plan.
Who are the intended audiences for NEWS findings and data products?
The FOA highlights stakeholders who need timely information, including researchers, clinicians, treatment providers, public health agencies, policymakers, and community partners.
What is the Early Warning Network, and why is it important?
The Early Warning Network is a group of local experts who understand drug abuse data in selected communities, along with NIDA-supported community-based researchers. It supports ongoing monitoring and interpretation, helping validate or challenge emerging signals and providing local context for why trends may be shifting.
Why does the program include local experts and community-based researchers?
The FOA notes that surveillance signals can be noisy or ambiguous without local context. Local experts and community-based researchers help improve interpretation, quickly validate emerging signals, and explain community-specific drivers behind trend changes.
What operational or administrative responsibilities does the Coordinating Center have?
Beyond scientific and analytic work, the Coordinating Center is responsible for administrative, logistical, and operational support needed for day-to-day functioning. This includes coordinating across communities, managing data use and sharing processes, supporting network communications, maintaining analytic workflows, and ensuring the system operates as a sustained effort rather than a one-time study.
How much funding is available under this FOA?
The FOA lists an estimated total funding amount of $900,000, with an award ceiling of $900,000.
Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What are the key dates for this funding opportunity?
The posting and creation date is September 12, 2013. The original and current closing date is December 3, 2013. The archive date is January 3, 2014.
What are the activity categories and CFDA reference for this opportunity?
The activity categories align with education and health. The CFDA program reference is 93.279 (Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs).
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); small businesses; and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.
Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly recognizes faith-based and community-based organizations among eligible categories.
Are minority-serving institutions included in the eligible applicant categories?
Yes. The FOA explicitly recognizes multiple categories, including Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institutions, among others.
Are non-U.S. entities eligible to apply?
No. The FOA states non-U.S. entities are not eligible.
Are foreign components allowed (including non-domestic components of U.S. organizations)?
No. The FOA states foreign components are not allowed, including non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, consistent with NIH policy restrictions noted in the announcement.
What makes this Coordinating Center a "national hub" rather than a typical research project?
The FOA frames the Center as an ongoing hub that standardizes community indicators, incorporates innovative data sources (including online data), conducts cross-site analyses, and maintains a strong dissemination infrastructure supported by an expert network. The expectation is not just data collection, but rapid interpretation and public communication of harmonized findings.
What kinds of threats is the system meant to detect?
The system is intended to detect shifts in drug use patterns, including the appearance of new synthetic substances and other rapidly evolving threats that may emerge quickly and require near-real-time awareness.
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