High-throughput Discovery and Validation of Novel Signal Transducers or Small Molecules that Modulate Opioid or other Substance Use Disorder Relevant Pathways (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA DA 22 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 22 006

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity RFA-DA-22-006, titled "High-throughput Discovery and Validation of Novel Signal Transducers or Small Molecules that Modulate Opioid or other Substance Use Disorder Relevant Pathways (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)," is a discretionary grant program that supports research aimed at accelerating early-stage discovery for substance use disorders (SUD). The core focus is on using high-throughput screening (HTS) or other similarly transformative, scalable discovery strategies to find new biological targets (such as receptors or other signal transducers) or to identify small-molecule compounds that can modulate signaling pathways strongly tied to SUD biology.

The scientific scope centers on signal transduction pathways that are known to be relevant to addiction and related neurobiology, including dopamine, opioid, cannabinoid, and nicotinic systems, as well as other pathways if the applicant provides a clear, evidence-based justification for their relevance to SUD. The intent is not simply to generate descriptive biology, but to actively discover and prioritize actionable modulators of these pathways. Projects can include the full discovery pipeline from primary high-throughput screens through secondary assays, follow-up screens, and validation experiments to confirm that key "hits" from the initial screen are real, reproducible, and biologically meaningful. In practice, this means applicants are expected to use rigorous screening approaches (for example, cell-based functional assays, receptor or pathway reporter systems, target engagement strategies, or other HTS-compatible platforms) and then apply confirmatory steps that reduce false positives and strengthen confidence in the resulting leads or newly implicated transducers.

The award mechanism is an NIH R01, which generally supports well-defined, hypothesis-driven research projects with substantial scope. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this announcement, so the supported work is preclinical and discovery-focused rather than testing interventions in human participants. The funding activity category is listed under Education and Health, and the CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 93.279. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $400,000, indicating the maximum award amount allowed under the program as presented in the source summary.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and several non-U.S. options. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations (not federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal government agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility is designed to encourage participation from a wide range of research environments and communities, including institutions that serve populations disproportionately affected by substance use and overdose harms.

Key logistics from the source information include that the sponsoring agency is NIH, the funding instrument type is a grant, and the original closing date listed is September 15, 2021, with a creation date of February 4, 2021. Overall, the opportunity is structured to push the field toward faster identification of new therapeutic starting points and biological mechanisms for SUD by leveraging high-throughput, data-rich discovery methods coupled with credible follow-up validation, while keeping the work firmly on the non-clinical side of the translational pipeline.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "High-throughput Discovery and Validation of Novel Signal Transducers or Small Molecules that Modulate Opioid or other Substance Use Disorder Relevant Pathways (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" 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 2021-02-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-09-15. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DA 22 006

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