Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 14 009
Apply for RFA CA 14 009
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Using Social Media to Understand and Address Substance Use and Addiction (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs 93.399 Cancer Control.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 3, 2014 and posted on Jan 3, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 25, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments Small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) 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 allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Using Social Media to Understand and Address Substance Use and Addiction (R21) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-14-009) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant announcement released under the trans-NIH Collaborative Research on Addiction (CRAN) initiative. Its purpose was to spark and support early-stage, exploratory research that uses social media in meaningful ways to better understand substance use and addiction related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD), and to test whether social media can be used to reduce these risks. The overall premise is that social media platforms capture real-time communication, peer influence, attitudes, and behavioral signals at a scale that traditional public health tools often cannot, creating new opportunities for both surveillance and intervention.
Projects submitted to this FOA had to fit clearly into one of two main research directions. The first direction was observational research, where social media interactions and content are treated as a kind of surveillance or monitoring tool. The goal in this area was to improve understanding of ATOD-related epidemiology, including patterns and trends in use, emerging substances or behaviors, risk and protective factors, social norms and attitudes, and how these factors spread through networks and communities. In practical terms, this could include analyzing posts, social connections, engagement patterns, or other platform signals to detect changes over time, identify high-risk populations or contexts, or understand how pro-use or anti-use messaging circulates.
The second direction was intervention research, focused on using social media as a delivery channel or environment for screening, prevention, and treatment approaches related to ATOD use and addiction. In this track, the emphasis was not only on whether an intervention can be delivered online, but on measuring outcomes that matter in digital settings: reach (who is exposed), engagement (how people interact with the content or program), and downstream effects on behavior and health (for example, changes in use patterns, help-seeking, treatment initiation or adherence, or relapse-related outcomes). The FOA was essentially encouraging applicants to move beyond simple feasibility and toward measurable impact, while still recognizing the exploratory nature of an R21 mechanism.
Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity using the NIH R21 funding mechanism, which is commonly intended for exploratory and developmental projects that may be high-risk/high-reward or at an earlier stage of evidence. The estimated total funding available was $1,500,000, and the award ceiling listed was $200,000. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on January 3, 2014, with an application closing date of March 25, 2014, and it was later archived on April 25, 2014.
Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based organization types. Eligible applicants included state governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, with some distinctions noted in the listing); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and other entities as clarified in the full FOA. The announcement also explicitly included a range of institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as eligible federal agencies and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible to apply, although foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement were allowed, meaning certain international elements could be included when justified and compliant with NIH policy.
The FOA aligned with multiple NIH-related program areas reflected in its CFDA listings: 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs), 93.279 (Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs), and 93.399 (Cancer Control). That mix signals NIH interest not only in addiction and substance use broadly, but also in downstream health consequences and prevention-focused research where substance use intersects with cancer risk and control (for example, tobacco use and related behaviors).
For applicants or readers wanting the official details, NIH provided the full announcement through its grants guidance site (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-14-009.html). Technical issues with accessing the posting were directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact listed in the notice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the "Using Social Media to Understand and Address Substance Use and Addiction (R21)" funding opportunity?
This opportunity (RFA-CA-14-009) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant announcement released under the trans-NIH Collaborative Research on Addiction (CRAN) initiative. It was designed to spark and support early-stage, exploratory research that uses social media to better understand substance use and addiction, and to test whether social media can help reduce related risks.
2) What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The purpose was to encourage research that uses social media in meaningful ways to (a) improve understanding of substance use and addiction related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD), and/or (b) evaluate whether social media can be used to reduce ATOD-related risks through screening, prevention, or treatment approaches.
3) What substances and topics were in scope?
The FOA focused on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). It also emphasized addiction-related behaviors and risks, including patterns and trends of use, social norms and attitudes, and the spread of messages and behaviors through networks and communities.
4) Why did NIH emphasize social media in this research area?
The FOA was based on the premise that social media platforms capture real-time communication, peer influence, attitudes, and behavioral signals at a scale that traditional public health tools often cannot. This creates opportunities both for surveillance/monitoring (observational research) and for delivering interventions (intervention research).
5) What funding mechanism did this opportunity use?
This was an NIH R21 funding opportunity. The R21 mechanism is commonly used for exploratory and developmental projects, including high-risk/high-reward work or projects at an earlier stage of evidence.
6) What were the two main research directions required by the FOA?
Projects had to fit clearly into one of two directions:
- Observational research: using social media as a surveillance or monitoring tool to improve understanding of ATOD-related epidemiology and related social processes.
- Intervention research: using social media as a delivery channel or environment for screening, prevention, and treatment approaches related to ATOD use and addiction.
7) What counted as observational research under this FOA?
Observational research treated social media interactions and content as signals for monitoring ATOD-related epidemiology. Examples described in the FOA context included analyzing posts, social connections, engagement patterns, or other platform signals to detect changes over time, identify high-risk populations or contexts, and understand how pro-use or anti-use messaging circulates.
8) What counted as intervention research under this FOA?
Intervention research focused on using social media to deliver screening, prevention, or treatment approaches related to ATOD use and addiction. The FOA emphasized evaluating outcomes relevant to digital settings, including reach, engagement, and downstream effects on behavior and health.
9) What outcomes did the FOA emphasize for intervention projects?
Beyond simply showing that an intervention could be delivered online, the FOA emphasized measuring:
- Reach: who is exposed to the intervention or messaging
- Engagement: how people interact with content or programs
- Downstream effects: changes in behavior and health, such as changes in use patterns, help-seeking, treatment initiation or adherence, or relapse-related outcomes
10) Did the FOA prioritize feasibility studies only?
No. While it recognized the exploratory nature of the R21 mechanism, it encouraged applicants to move beyond basic feasibility and toward measurable impact, especially for intervention-focused proposals.
11) How much funding was available in total under this opportunity?
The estimated total funding available was $1,500,000.
12) What was the award ceiling for individual awards?
The award ceiling listed was $200,000.
13) Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
14) When was the opportunity posted, and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on January 3, 2014. The application closing date was March 25, 2014.
15) Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The FOA was later archived on April 25, 2014.
16) Who was eligible to apply (in general terms)?
Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based organization types, including state governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status, with distinctions noted in the listing); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and other entities as clarified in the full FOA.
17) Were specific institution types explicitly included?
Yes. The announcement explicitly included institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). It also included eligible federal agencies and U.S. territories or possessions.
18) Were non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible to apply.
19) Were any international elements allowed at all?
Yes. Although foreign institutions could not apply, foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed. This means certain international elements could be included when justified and compliant with NIH policy.
20) What NIH/CFDA program areas did this FOA align with?
The FOA aligned with multiple NIH-related program areas reflected in its CFDA listings:
- 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs)
- 93.279 (Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs)
- 93.399 (Cancer Control)
21) Why would "Cancer Control" be listed for an addiction-related social media FOA?
The mix of CFDA listings signaled NIH interest not only in addiction and substance use broadly, but also in downstream health consequences and prevention-focused research where substance use intersects with cancer risk and control (for example, tobacco use and related behaviors).
22) Where could applicants find the official FOA text and requirements?
NIH provided the full announcement through its grants guidance site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-14-009.html
23) Who was listed for technical issues accessing the posting?
Technical issues with accessing the posting were directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact listed in the notice.
24) What is CRAN, as referenced in the FOA description?
CRAN refers to the trans-NIH Collaborative Research on Addiction initiative, under which this FOA was released.
25) What is meant by using social media for "surveillance" in this context?
In this FOA, "surveillance" referred to using social media content and interaction patterns to monitor and improve understanding of ATOD-related epidemiology, such as trends in use, emerging substances or behaviors, and how risk and protective factors and messaging spread across networks and communities.
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