Neuroscience Research on Drug Abuse (R21) | PA 17 112

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 112

The Neuroscience Research on Drug Abuse (R21) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PA 17-112) is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant that supports early-stage, exploratory research focused on how abused drugs alter the brain and how those changes drive substance use disorders. The core idea behind the announcement is that long-term misuse and chronic exposure to addictive substances can cause broad, lasting shifts in brain structure and function, and that there is still a major need to map these neurobiological changes more precisely and connect them to real-world outcomes like compulsive use, loss of control, tolerance, dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse risk. The funding is meant to help researchers generate new knowledge about these mechanisms and to open up new directions that could later lead to stronger intervention and treatment strategies.

A main emphasis of the program is identifying the specific neuroadaptations that happen across key phases of addiction, particularly during dependence, withdrawal, and relapse after periods of abstinence. In practical terms, this can include studying how circuits involved in reward, motivation, stress, learning, memory, and executive control are reshaped by repeated drug exposure, as well as how those changes persist over time or re-emerge when a person is exposed to drug cues or stressors. The announcement is intentionally broad about methods, encouraging basic, translational, and clinical approaches, which means projects may range from fundamental neuroscience (for example, cellular and synaptic mechanisms, circuit-level adaptations, or molecular signaling pathways) to translational work that bridges preclinical findings to humans, to clinical research that measures brain changes and links them to symptoms, behavior, and treatment outcomes.

The rationale for investing in this work is straightforward: understanding the basic neuroscience of substance use disorders is viewed as a direct pathway to identifying actionable targets for prevention and treatment. By clarifying what changes in the brain are caused by chronic drug exposure, which of those changes contribute to craving and relapse, and which may be reversible, the research can point toward new therapeutic strategies, biomarkers, or intervention windows. The R21 mechanism typically aligns with projects that are innovative and hypothesis-generating, often supporting studies that test new ideas, explore emerging tools, or gather key feasibility data that can justify a later, larger-scale application.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is open broadly and explicitly includes a wide range of institution types beyond standard academic applicants. Eligible applicants listed include small businesses and multiple categories of organizations such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, certain tribal governments (other than federally recognized), regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal government agencies. Importantly, foreign participation is allowed: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) may apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are permitted.

Key administrative details from the source information include an award ceiling of $200,000 and an original closing date of January 24, 2018. The listing is associated with CFDA number 93.279, falls under the Education and Health funding activity category, and uses the grant funding instrument type. Overall, the opportunity is designed to stimulate focused neuroscience research that clarifies how drug exposure remodels the brain and how those changes translate into the clinical cycle of addiction, with the long-term goal of improving prevention and treatment options.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Neuroscience Research on Drug Abuse (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

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