Addressing the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic in Minority Health and Health Disparities Research in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 747

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 747

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Addressing the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic in Minority Health and Health Disparities Research in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-18-747) supports research that digs into why Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) affects communities differently and what can be done to close persistent gaps in opioid-related prevention, treatment, and recovery services. It is structured as an R01 research project grant, meaning it is intended for substantial, hypothesis-driven projects that can generate meaningful new evidence. Clinical trials are allowed but not required, giving applicants flexibility to propose either observational, mechanistic, or intervention-focused work depending on what best fits their research questions.

The core purpose of the announcement is to fund investigative and collaborative studies that explain mechanisms behind variation in OUD prevalence and opioid-related outcomes across minority health and health disparity populations in the United States. The emphasis is not just on documenting disparities, but on understanding the "why" behind them, including social, structural, clinical, behavioral, and policy-related factors that shape risk, access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes. A major theme is moving beyond individual-level explanations and identifying the institutional and system-level drivers that can lead to unequal treatment, unequal availability of evidence-based care, or unequal engagement and retention in care.

A key expectation in this FOA is the development and evaluation of multi-level intervention strategies, particularly those operating at institutional and systems levels. In practice, that can include interventions that change how healthcare organizations screen and treat OUD, how care is coordinated across settings, how stigma and bias are addressed in clinical workflows, how payment and policy barriers affect access to medications for OUD, or how community systems (such as criminal legal systems, child welfare systems, housing services, and social services) intersect with healthcare delivery. The intent is to support work that can lead to real improvements in equity, not only by testing interventions directly, but also by producing actionable evidence on what policies, practices, and organizational approaches reduce disparities.

The opportunity falls under discretionary grant funding and is categorized across education, health, income security, and social services, reflecting the broad cross-sector nature of the opioid epidemic and the social determinants that influence it. The listed CFDA numbers (93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.865, 93.866) indicate alignment with multiple NIH-related programs and research areas that can intersect with substance use, minority health, and health disparities research. The FOA was created on April 10, 2018, and the original closing date provided in the source information is November 13, 2020.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also explicitly highlights a number of additional applicant categories that are especially relevant to minority health and disparity-focused work, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs). It also notes eligibility for faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, reinforcing the goal of supporting research partnerships rooted in the communities most affected by disparities.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. In addition, foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. In plain terms, the work funded under this announcement is intended to be conducted fully within eligible U.S. organizational structures and settings, without foreign organizational components.

Overall, this opportunity is aimed at research that combines rigorous science with practical relevance for equity: explaining why OUD burdens and outcomes differ across populations, identifying how opioid care differs in access and quality, and developing system- and institution-level strategies that can measurably reduce disparities in prevention, treatment, and recovery support for minority health and health disparity populations in the United States.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing the Challenges of the Opioid Epidemic in Minority Health and Health Disparities Research in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-04-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 PAR 18 747

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