Pilot and Feasibility Studies in Preparation for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 775

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 775

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity "Pilot and Feasibility Studies in Preparation for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PA-18-775) supports early-stage research meant to lay the groundwork for later, larger prevention trials. It uses the R34 mechanism, which is designed for pilot and feasibility studies rather than full-scale effectiveness testing. The central idea is to help investigators generate the practical evidence they need to confidently move into a subsequent, larger clinical or community prevention trial focused on drug and alcohol misuse and related health harms.

The FOA prioritizes two main types of projects. First, it funds pilot and feasibility testing of innovative prevention interventions, including interventions that are brand-new, meaningfully revised, or carefully adapted for new populations or settings. These interventions should aim to prevent or delay the initiation of drug and alcohol use, slow or stop progression from use to misuse or problem use, and reduce the likelihood of developing alcohol or other substance use disorders. The opportunity also explicitly includes prevention work aimed at reducing drinking and driving and preventing deaths related to impaired driving. In addition, it encourages prevention approaches that reduce drug- or alcohol-related risks for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection and viral hepatitis, recognizing the overlap between substance use patterns and infectious disease transmission in many communities.

Second, the FOA supports pre-trial feasibility and acceptability testing in the area of prevention services and systems research. That includes work that tests whether prevention programs, service delivery approaches, or system-level strategies can realistically be implemented, adopted, and sustained in the real-world settings where prevention actually happens (for example, schools, primary care clinics, community organizations, justice settings, or other public health systems). In practice, this kind of R34 work often focuses on questions like: Can the target population be recruited and retained? Will participants and providers accept the intervention? Can staff be trained with fidelity? Are the procedures workable in a busy service setting? Are the proposed outcomes measurable and sensitive enough for a later trial? The aim is to reduce risk before a larger, more expensive study is launched.

A key boundary of this announcement is that it does not fund applications whose only purpose is to develop manuals, protocols, or standardized materials. Intervention development is allowed, but only when it is embedded inside a pilot or feasibility study, meaning there must be an actual empirical test of feasibility, acceptability, or other pre-trial milestones rather than just writing or packaging an intervention.

The FOA emphasizes prevention research that aligns with current public health priorities and priority settings and systems. That signals an interest in studies that respond to pressing and evolving needs in communities and service environments, including diverse populations and varied implementation contexts. Projects are expected to be practical and preparatory: the work should directly support the design and justification of a future, larger-scale prevention trial, whether focused on substance use prevention broadly, alcohol-specific outcomes such as impaired driving, or substance-related HIV and viral hepatitis prevention.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic and non-domestic organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and foreign (non-U.S.) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects NIH's interest in reaching diverse communities and settings where prevention research can be tested and refined.

From the posted opportunity details, the funding instrument is a grant under the discretionary category, and the activity areas are health and education. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.273 and 93.279. The award ceiling shown is $225,000, indicating the intended scale is modest and consistent with a preparatory pilot stage rather than a definitive trial. The original closing date listed is 2021-01-07, and the FOA record was created on 2018-05-09.

Overall, this R34 opportunity is best understood as a stepping-stone grant: it is meant to finance the critical pilot testing and feasibility work needed to strengthen a later, full-scale prevention intervention application. Competitive projects under this FOA typically make a clear case that the proposed study will answer practical pre-trial questions, produce actionable feasibility data, and directly position the team to submit a subsequent larger trial aimed at preventing substance use initiation and escalation, reducing impaired driving harms, and limiting substance-related HIV and viral hepatitis transmission in real-world populations and systems.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot and Feasibility Studies in Preparation for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Trials (R34 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.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-07. (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 $225,000.00 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 PA 18 775

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: