Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AA 16 008
Apply for RFA AA 16 008
- The HHS-NIH11 in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Targets of Low Dose Alcohol in the Brain (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 03, 2016 and posted on Feb 03, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 21, 2016. (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 $250,000.00 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:
The "Targets of Low Dose Alcohol in the Brain (R01)" funding opportunity (RFA-AA-16-008) is a National Institutes of Health research grant announcement aimed at closing a specific scientific gap: figuring out exactly how low levels of alcohol affect the brain. A great deal is already known about what alcohol does at higher concentrations, including how it can broadly influence receptors, ion channels, intracellular signaling pathways, and patterns of gene expression. What remains far less clear is what happens at alcohol concentrations at or below 10 mM, which are considered low-dose levels and may engage a different, more selective set of biological mechanisms than those seen at higher exposure.
The core focus of the announcement is to support studies that identify and define the molecular and cellular targets that mediate alcohol's effects in this low-dose range. Rather than treating alcohol's impact as a general depressant effect on brain activity, the FOA emphasizes pinpointing specific targets and mechanisms that respond at 10 mM and below. The intent is that applicants will use modern neuroscience and biomedical approaches to detect which proteins, receptors, channels, signaling molecules, or gene-regulatory systems are sensitive at these concentrations, and to clarify how those targets translate into measurable changes in cells and neural circuits.
Projects supported under this FOA are expected to operate across multiple levels of analysis. At the molecular level, that may mean identifying binding partners, conformational changes, downstream signaling consequences, or gene-expression shifts that occur only at low-dose exposure. At the cellular level, it could include changes in neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, plasticity, glial function, or cell-type-specific responses that are not apparent when alcohol is studied only at higher concentrations. At the circuit level, the goal is to connect those molecular and cellular effects to changes in communication across defined neural networks, which is essential for understanding how subtle alcohol exposure might shape behavior, cognition, reward processing, stress responses, or other brain functions. Overall, the announcement is pushing the field toward a mechanistic explanation of low-dose alcohol action that is precise enough to identify concrete biological targets rather than broad, nonspecific effects.
Administratively, this opportunity is an NIH R01 mechanism (a standard research project grant) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the agency listed as HHS-NIH11. It falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.273. The posted and creation dates were February 3, 2016, with an application closing date of April 21, 2016. The listed award ceiling is $250,000. The FOA anticipates making multiple awards (the specific number is not provided in the source excerpt), consistent with the typical structure of targeted NIH research solicitations.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations that commonly participate in federal biomedical research funding. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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 and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education where specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as clarified in the full eligibility text. This wide eligibility reflects the expectation that relevant expertise may exist across universities, research institutes, hospitals, nonprofits, tribal organizations, and certain private-sector research groups.
In practical terms, the opportunity is designed for research teams that can convincingly show they will interrogate alcohol effects specifically in the low-dose range and will identify targets that mediate those effects. The larger public health value is that understanding low-dose mechanisms could reshape how researchers think about early-stage intoxication, mild impairment, and the transition points between casual use and harmful patterns, while also potentially revealing new intervention targets that would be missed if research focused only on higher, more obviously disruptive alcohol concentrations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled "Targets of Low Dose Alcohol in the Brain (R01)" and is identified as RFA-AA-16-008.
Which agency is offering this grant?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency is listed as HHS-NIH11.
What type of grant mechanism is this?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, which is a standard research project grant mechanism intended to support discrete, specified research projects.
What scientific gap is this FOA trying to address?
The FOA is aimed at closing a specific gap in knowledge: identifying exactly how low levels of alcohol affect the brain, particularly at concentrations where effects may be more selective and mechanistically distinct than effects seen at higher alcohol concentrations.
What does "low dose" mean in this announcement?
In this FOA, "low dose" refers to alcohol concentrations at or below 10 mM (10 millimolar). The announcement emphasizes that biological mechanisms at or below this level may differ from those engaged at higher concentrations.
Why is the focus specifically on 10 mM and below?
Because much is already known about alcohol's effects at higher concentrations (including broad impacts on receptors, ion channels, intracellular signaling pathways, and gene expression), while the targets and mechanisms that respond at 10 mM and below are described as far less clear and in need of precise definition.
What kinds of research does this FOA want to support?
The FOA is intended to support studies that identify and define the molecular and cellular targets that mediate alcohol's effects in the low-dose range (10 mM and below). The emphasis is on pinpointing specific targets and mechanisms rather than describing alcohol as a broad, nonspecific depressant.
What are examples of "targets" this FOA is interested in?
Based on the announcement description, potential targets include specific proteins, receptors, ion channels, signaling molecules, and gene-regulatory systems that are sensitive to alcohol at low concentrations.
What level(s) of analysis are projects expected to include?
Projects are expected to operate across multiple levels of analysis, including molecular, cellular, and circuit-level approaches, with the goal of linking low-dose molecular/cellular effects to changes in communication across defined neural networks.
What does the FOA mean by molecular-level studies?
Molecular-level work may include identifying binding partners, detecting conformational changes, characterizing downstream signaling consequences, or measuring gene-expression shifts that occur specifically with low-dose alcohol exposure.
What does the FOA mean by cellular-level studies?
Cellular-level work may include examining changes in neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, glial function, or cell-type-specific responses that may not be apparent when studying only higher alcohol concentrations.
What does the FOA mean by circuit-level studies?
Circuit-level work aims to connect molecular and cellular targets to changes in neural network communication, which can help explain how subtle alcohol exposure might shape brain function and related outcomes.
Does the FOA require linking molecular findings to neural circuits?
The FOA emphasizes connecting effects across levels of analysis, including translating molecular and cellular effects into circuit-level changes across defined neural networks.
What types of outcomes or brain functions are mentioned as potentially affected by low-dose alcohol?
The announcement notes that low-dose alcohol effects may influence behavior, cognition, reward processing, stress responses, or other brain functions, with an emphasis on understanding the mechanistic basis for these influences.
What is the broader public health value of this research?
The FOA frames the public health value as improving understanding of early-stage intoxication, mild impairment, and potential transition points between casual use and harmful patterns, and as identifying new intervention targets that might be missed when focusing only on higher alcohol concentrations.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 93.273.
What is the funding activity category?
The opportunity is categorized under the health funding activity category.
When was this opportunity posted and created?
The posted date and the creation date are both listed as February 3, 2016.
What is the application closing date?
The application closing date is listed as April 21, 2016.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $250,000.
Will NIH make more than one award under this FOA?
The FOA anticipates making multiple awards, although the exact number of awards is not specified in the provided excerpt.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. organization types, including state, county, and local 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 and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education where specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the full eligibility text.
Are universities and colleges eligible applicants?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed among eligible applicants.
Are tribal governments or tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included in the eligibility list.
Are nonprofits eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (with the note that exclusions apply where specified for institutions of higher education).
Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and it also lists small businesses.
Is this opportunity limited to academic applicants only?
No. The eligibility list explicitly includes a wide range of organization types beyond academia, reflecting that relevant expertise may exist across universities, research institutes, hospitals, nonprofits, tribal organizations, and certain private-sector research groups.
What is the main reviewable "fit" for an application based on the description provided?
Applications should convincingly focus on alcohol effects specifically in the low-dose range (10 mM and below) and propose approaches that can identify concrete targets and mechanisms mediating those effects, ideally spanning molecular, cellular, and circuit levels.
How is this FOA different from studies of alcohol at higher concentrations?
The FOA distinguishes itself by emphasizing precision and selectivity at low-dose exposure. It notes that high-dose alcohol effects are already broadly characterized across many biological systems, while low-dose targets and mechanisms remain less clearly defined and may involve a different, more selective set of mechanisms.
What kinds of biological effects at higher alcohol concentrations are already well known (according to the FOA summary)?
The summary notes that at higher concentrations alcohol can broadly influence receptors, ion channels, intracellular signaling pathways, and patterns of gene expression.
Does the provided description specify a required number of years for the project period?
No. The provided information does not state a project period length.
Does the provided description specify cost sharing or matching requirements?
No. The provided information does not mention cost sharing or matching requirements.
Does the provided description specify the total program funding amount?
No. The excerpt mentions an award ceiling of $250,000 and that multiple awards are anticipated, but it does not provide a total program funding amount.
Where can applicants find additional eligibility details referenced in the excerpt?
The excerpt notes that eligibility is "as clarified in the full eligibility text," indicating that additional specifics would be in the full announcement for RFA-AA-16-008 (not included in the provided information).
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