Atom | Alcohol Health Services Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 direct costs per year (prior approval required for requests above this); project period up to 5 years; typical R01 scale

Summary: Supports research to close the treatment gap for alcohol use disorder (AUD) by improving access, appeal, cost structures, dissemination, and reducing health disparities in alcohol health services.

Key Information: Clinical trials are optional; applications requesting ≥$500,000 direct costs/year require pre-approval; foreign and domestic applicants eligible.

Description

This opportunity, offered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at NIH, solicits R01 research project grant applications focused on alcohol health services. The overarching goal is to close the treatment gap for individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The program encourages research in five major areas:

Increasing access to treatment for AUD
Making treatment for AUD more appealing
Examining cost structures and insurance systems
Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based approaches to treating AUD
Reducing health disparities in AUD treatment, especially for health disparity populations

Projects may address one or more of these areas and are encouraged to use innovative study designs, including hybrid effectiveness-implementation, SMART, and MOST designs. Both clinical trial and non-clinical trial applications are accepted.

Due Dates

New Applications: June 5, 2025 | October 5, 2025 | February 5, 2026 | June 5, 2026
Renewal/Resubmission/Revision: July 5, 2025 | November 5, 2025 | March 5, 2026 | July 5, 2026
Letter of Intent: 30 days before the application due date (e.g., September 5, 2025 for October 5, 2025 deadline)
Expiration Date: September 8, 2026

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow time for corrections.

Funding Amount

Direct Costs: Up to $500,000 per year (requests above this require prior approval at least 6 weeks before submission)
Project Period: Up to 5 years
Number of Awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

Public and private institutions of higher education (domestic and foreign)
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

Individuals: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as PD/PI may apply.

Multiple applications: Allowed if each is scientifically distinct.

Application Process

Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov using the NIH ASSIST system, institutional S2S, or Grants.gov Workspace.
Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov (can take 6+ weeks; start early)
Letter of Intent: Strongly encouraged, due 30 days before the application deadline; send to the NIAAA contact listed below.
Application Guide: Follow the NIH SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
Budget: Modular or detailed budget depending on direct costs; detailed budget required for foreign institutions and for applications involving human fetal tissue.
Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for all applications generating scientific data.
Clinical Trials: Optional; if included, follow all NIH clinical trial policies and reporting requirements.

Pre-approval for large budgets: If requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year, contact a Scientific/Research Contact at least 6 weeks before submission.

Additional Information

Non-responsive applications: HIV/AIDS research, studies on substances other than alcohol or poly-substance use, and economic analyses of prevention interventions are not responsive.
Review Criteria: Significance, innovation, approach, investigator(s), and environment, plus protections for human subjects, inclusion, and budget justification.
Data Sharing: All applicants must address data management and sharing per NIH policy.
Foreign Applicants: Eligible and encouraged to apply; must follow NIH policies for foreign organizations.

External Links

Contact Information

Topic	Name/Title	Email	Phone
Scientific/Research Contact	Laura E. Kwako, Ph.D.	laura.kwako@nih.gov	301-451-8507
Letter of Intent Contact	Philippe Marmillot, Ph.D.	philippe.marmillot@nih.gov	301-443-2861
Peer Review Contact	RV Srinivas, Ph.D.	srinivar@mail.nih.gov	301-451-2067
Grants Management Contact	Judy Fox	jfox@mail.nih.gov	301-443-4707
General Grants Info	NIH Grants Info	GrantsInfo@nih.gov	301-480-7075
eRA Commons/ASSIST Support	eRA Service Desk	https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help	301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552
Grants.gov Support	Grants.gov Help Desk	support@grants.gov	800-518-4726