Screening and Brief Alcohol Interventions in Underage and Young Adult Populations (R03) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the focus of the Screening and Brief Alcohol Interventions in Underage and Young Adult Populations (R03) opportunity?

This NIH funding opportunity (PA-07-408) focuses on research that improves (1) screening methods to identify risky or problematic alcohol use early and (2) brief, practical interventions that can prevent the onset of alcohol misuse or reduce drinking and related harms among underage youth and young adults.

Which NIH institute leads this program?

The program is led by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the overall goal of the research supported by this FOA?

The goal is to reduce alcohol consumption and the negative consequences linked to drinking in underage and young adult populations, including health, safety, academic, and social harms, by improving early identification and delivering efficient, time-limited interventions.

What does "screening" mean in the context of this grant?

Screening refers to approaches for detecting risk or problematic alcohol use in real-world settings, with an emphasis on identifying risky use early so that prevention or early intervention can occur.

What does "brief alcohol intervention" mean in the context of this grant?

Brief interventions are short, practical, time-limited strategies that can be delivered efficiently, often in settings where long-term treatment is not feasible. The emphasis is on interventions that can be implemented in real-world environments to prevent or reduce harmful alcohol use.

Which populations are targeted by this opportunity?

The targeted populations are underage youth and young adults.

What grant mechanism does this FOA use?

This announcement uses the NIH Small Research Grant mechanism (R03), which is intended for smaller, tightly focused projects that can be completed with limited resources.

What types of projects are a good fit for an R03 under this FOA?

Projects are expected to be modest in scope but capable of producing clear, actionable findings. The R03 mechanism is commonly used to generate preliminary data, test feasibility, refine measures and methods, analyze existing datasets in new ways, or develop and pilot innovative tools or technologies relevant to screening and brief interventions for alcohol risk in these age groups.

Is this FOA part of a larger set of related opportunities?

Yes. It was part of a coordinated set of announcements with the same scientific theme, including parallel opportunities under the R01 mechanism (PA-07-406) and the R21 mechanism (PA-07-407), allowing similar research questions to be pursued at different scales.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PA-07-408.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The program is tied to CFDA number 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs).

Does this grant require cost sharing or matching funds?

No. The FOA states that cost sharing or matching funds are not required.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The listing indicates a final closing date of January 7, 2011, and it was archived on February 7, 2011.

When was this FOA originally posted?

The original posting date was July 17, 2007, and it included multiple receipt dates during its active period.

What kinds of organizations were eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included many types of domestic organizations, such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private universities, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain nonprofits without that designation), small businesses, other for-profit entities, school districts, state and local governmental units, special district governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations.

Could foreign institutions apply?

Yes. The eligibility language notes that foreign institutions may apply.

Could federal agencies apply?

Yes. The eligibility language indicates that eligible federal agencies may apply.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility language states that faith-based or community-based organizations may apply.

What kinds of settings does this FOA expect research to be relevant to?

The opportunity emphasizes screening and brief interventions that work in real-world settings where underage and young adult drinking risk can be identified and addressed. Examples mentioned include educational settings, healthcare clinics, community programs, and other youth-serving systems.

Why is the focus on adolescence and young adulthood?

The FOA highlights this period as a developmental window strongly associated with initiation and escalation of drinking and with preventable injuries and other adverse outcomes, making early identification and brief intervention strategies especially important.

Where could applicants find the full official announcement and detailed requirements?

The full announcement was listed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-408.html, which would have contained detailed expectations about scientific scope, allowable costs, submission logistics, and NIAAA research priorities for this R03 program.

Who administered the program?

The FOA was administered by NIH, with NIAAA as the lead institute for the scientific area.

What should applicants do if they had trouble accessing the FOA materials?

The FOA information notes that NIH provided points of contact through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access issues.

What is the intended value of an R03 project supported by this FOA?

An R03 project under this FOA was intended to produce early, concrete results (such as feasibility evidence, refined methods, pilot tools, or new analyses) that could inform larger studies or broader implementation later.

Is this program considered discretionary?

Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary NIH grant program.