Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: October 17, 2025 (Estimated Application Due Date)
Funding Amounts: Multi-year cooperative agreement; expected 5-year project period; award ceiling not yet specified; up to 27 awards anticipated.
Summary: NIH seeks applications for a large, multi-site study of pregnant women and their children (including those exposed to substances) to understand factors impacting child brain and behavioral development.
Key Information: This is a forecasted, limited competition opportunity; applications are not yet being accepted.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in collaboration with other NIH Institutes and Centers and as part of the NIH HEAL Initiative, will soon solicit applications for research projects supporting the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. This large, longitudinal cohort study will follow approximately 7,200 pregnant women and their children—beginning in the second trimester of pregnancy and continuing through childhood—to investigate the effects of prenatal and perinatal exposure to substances (including prescription and illicit opioids, marijuana, stimulants, alcohol, and nicotine) on child health, brain, and behavioral development.
The funded research sites will be responsible for participant recruitment and retention, behavioral assessments, biospecimen collection, and neuroimaging. The goal is to generate a nuanced understanding of the short- and long-term factors influencing child development, ultimately informing interventions to promote well-being and resilience.
This is a renewal for the second 5-year funding period of the HBCD study. The opportunity will use the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism and is expected to be a limited competition.
Note: This is a forecasted opportunity. Applications are not being accepted at this time; the notice is provided to allow time for collaboration and project planning.
Eligible applicants include:
| Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Janani Prabhakar, PhD | janani.prabhakar@nih.gov | 301-827-4729 |