Atom | Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Funding Amounts: Up to $450,000 direct costs over 3 years; no more than $225,000 direct costs in any single year.

Summary: Supports planning and pilot research to improve access, appeal, cost, dissemination, and equity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment services.

Key Information: Clinical trial optional; foreign and domestic organizations eligible; updated March 2025—review full NOFO for changes.

Description

This opportunity, offered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at NIH, supports R34 planning grants for research on alcohol health services. The focus is on closing the treatment gap for individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) by addressing five key areas: increasing access to treatment, making treatment more appealing, examining cost structures and insurance systems, studying dissemination and implementation of evidence-based approaches, and reducing health disparities in AUD care.

The R34 mechanism is intended for planning and pilot work, including team establishment, protocol development, feasibility studies, and preparation for larger-scale research. Both clinical trial and non-clinical trial applications are accepted.

Due Dates

New Applications: June 16, 2025 | October 16, 2025 | February 16, 2026 | June 16, 2026
Renewal/Resubmission/Revision: July 16, 2025 | November 16, 2025 | March 16, 2026 | July 16, 2026
Expiration Date: September 8, 2026
Letter of Intent: 30 days before the application due date (recommended, not required)

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.

Funding Amount

Direct Costs: Up to $450,000 total over the project period (maximum 3 years)
Annual Limit: No more than $225,000 in direct costs in any single year
Project Period: Up to 3 years

The number of awards is contingent on NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

Public and private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
State, county, city, township, and special district governments
Independent school districts
Native American tribal governments and organizations (federally recognized and other)
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Regional organizations
U.S. territories and possessions
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations)

Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to apply. Multiple applications from the same organization are allowed if scientifically distinct.

Application Process

Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov (may take 6+ weeks; start early)
Letter of Intent: Recommended, sent to the Scientific/Research Contact (see below)
Application Instructions: Follow the NIH Research (R) Application Guide and the full NOFO
Clinical Trials: Applications may propose or not propose clinical trials (clinical trial optional)
Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for all applications generating scientific data

Additional Information

Research Scope

Projects should address one or more of the following:

Barriers to accessing AUD treatment
Strategies to reduce barriers and increase treatment uptake
Integration of AUD treatment into non-addiction healthcare settings (e.g., primary care)
Implementation and sustainability of telemedicine for alcohol health services
Cost and insurance system analyses (excluding prevention cost-effectiveness)
Workforce and policy factors affecting access and sustainability
Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions
Culturally grounded interventions and stigma reduction, especially for health disparity populations

Not responsive: HIV/AIDS research, studies on substances other than alcohol or poly-substance use, and economic analyses of prevention interventions.

Review Criteria

Applications are evaluated for:

Significance and innovation
Rigor and feasibility of the approach
Investigator expertise and environment
Protections for human subjects (if applicable)
Budget and period of support justification

External Links

Contact Information

Topic	Contact Person	Email	Phone
Scientific/Research	Laura E. Kwako, Ph.D.	laura.kwako@nih.gov	301-451-8507
Peer Review	RV Srinivas, Ph.D.	srinivar@mail.nih.gov	301-451-2067
Grants Management	Judy Fox	jfox@mail.nih.gov	301-443-4707
General Grants Info	NIH Grants Information	GrantsInfo@nih.gov	301-480-7075
Application Support	eRA Service Desk	eRA Helpdesk	301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552
Grants.gov Support	Grants.gov Customer Support	support@grants.gov	800-518-4726

For additional contacts and details, see Section VII. Agency Contacts in the NOFO.