Program for Extramural/Intramural Alcohol Research Collaborations (U01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Program for Extramural/Intramural Alcohol Research Collaborations (U01)?

It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement opportunity that supports alcohol-related research projects built around a true collaboration between an extramural research team (outside NIH) and an intramural research collaborator within the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Intramural Research Program.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PAR 16-214.

Which federal agency and NIH institute run this opportunity?

The opportunity is run through HHS/NIH and is specifically tied to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

What is the main purpose of this program?

The central purpose is to deliberately pair and integrate two communities that often work separately: extramural investigators (such as those at universities, hospitals, nonprofits, and industry) and intramural scientists working within NIH as part of NIAAA's Intramural Research Program. The program is intended to enable research that would be difficult or impossible if the teams worked in parallel but separately.

What makes this opportunity different from a typical research grant?

This opportunity uses a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism. A cooperative agreement generally means NIH is expected to have a more substantial programmatic role than in a standard research grant, such as active engagement in coordination and/or oversight. In this program, that structure supports the goal of managing and enabling integrated intramural-extramural collaborations.

What is a U01 cooperative agreement in this context?

In this context, the U01 mechanism indicates the project is intended to be a collaboration where NIH involvement is anticipated to be more active than usual, aligning the proposed work with institute priorities and leveraging intramural capabilities. The opportunity is explicitly designed to support integrated work between an external PD/PI team and an NIAAA intramural collaborator.

What research areas or topics are supported?

The scientific focus is broad but anchored in advancing alcohol research, with emphasis on alcohol use disorders (including dependence) and the effects of alcohol on health. Supported projects should address important alcohol-based research questions where the collaboration adds real value.

Are alcohol use disorders the only focus area?

No. Alcohol use disorders are a key emphasis, but the program also supports research on the effects of alcohol on health more broadly, including work that clarifies how alcohol affects biological systems and health outcomes across populations.

What types of research questions are a good fit for this program?

Projects should tackle significant alcohol-related questions where an intramural-extramural partnership enables work that would not be feasible in isolation. Examples described in the opportunity include collaborations that combine complementary methods, specialized cohorts, unique lab capabilities, advanced imaging or clinical infrastructure, or distinctive analytic and translational expertise.

What does the program mean by a "true" collaboration?

The program is not aimed at parallel work split across sites. Instead, it expects an integrated, functioning collaborative unit where responsibilities, resources, and expertise are shared across the extramural and intramural teams in a way that adds clear scientific value.

Is an NIH intramural collaborator required?

Yes. A defining feature of this opportunity is required involvement of an NIH intramural collaborator within the NIAAA Intramural Research Program.

Who can serve as the required intramural collaborator?

The intramural partner must be a tenured or tenure-track scientist within the NIAAA Intramural Research Program.

Do applicants need to contact the intramural collaborator before applying?

Yes. The extramural project director/principal investigator (PD/PI) is expected to have made prior contact with the NIAAA intramural scientist before submitting the application.

Why does the program require prior contact with an intramural scientist?

The requirement signals that proposals should be based on an already-formed scientific partnership, with a clear plan for how expertise, responsibilities, and resources will be shared across the intramural and extramural teams.

What types of organizations are eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and 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; certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, along with additional eligible entities as clarified in the full announcement.

Does the program allow applications from for-profit organizations?

Yes. The listed eligible applicants include for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and also small businesses.

Does the program allow applications from nonprofit organizations?

Yes. The listed eligible applicants include nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where specified).

Does the program allow applications from government entities?

Yes. The eligibility list includes state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, among others.

Does the program allow applications from tribal governments or tribal organizations?

Yes. Eligibility includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and certain tribal organizations.

What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is stated as $250,000 in the provided source data.

What is the funding type/category for this opportunity?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with a health-related activity category.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity references CFDA number 93.273 (also listed as 93.273 in the provided record), consistent with NIAAA-related research support.

When was this funding opportunity posted?

The provided record lists a posting/creation date of April 22, 2016.

What is the closing date for this opportunity?

The provided record lists a closing date of May 7, 2019 (with original and current closing dates shown as the same).

What is the overall goal of funded projects under this program?

Projects are expected to move the alcohol research field forward by producing insights into mechanisms, consequences, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of alcohol-related conditions, or by clarifying how alcohol affects biological systems and health outcomes across populations, using a genuinely integrated intramural-extramural collaboration.