Related Announcements

PA-20-183- NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-20-185- NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-194 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-200 - NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-21-038 - Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Small Business applications must be submitted to the following FOAs or its subsequent reissued equivalent:
PA-21-259 - NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (Parent R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-21-262 - NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant (Parent R41/42 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-21-260 - NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (Parent R43/R44 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-21-261 - NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant (Parent R41/42 Clinical Trial Required)

Issued by

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Purpose

The purpose of this future grant application solicitation is to balance the NIAAA research portfolio by supporting research on alcohol misuse among persons aged 18 to 29 who are not enrolled in four-year colleges or universities. These persons are commonly in the military, workforce, or community college populations, which are understudied relative to their age peers in four-year colleges. Research on epidemiology, prevention, and screening centered on these understudied populations are all encouraged.

Background

The trajectory of alcohol misuse among late adolescents and young adults has been a central topic of interest in research on alcohol epidemiology and prevention. This is because both heavy drinking and alcohol misuse peak in the late teens and early twenties, declining thereafter. For example, pooled data from the 2018 and 2019 waves of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that the prevalence of past month binge drinking peaks to 43% at age 21 and remains above 40% through age 25.

The age period 18 to 29 is one where several risk factors concentrate. Alcohol becomes legally available, there is a transition away from parental oversight, normative perceptions and alcohol expectancies tend to support heavier drinking, and intimate relationship formation becomes a focus of social life.

Consequently, much research on alcohol epidemiology and prevention has focused on this age period. However, the bulk of that research has focused on four-year college students. Perhaps this is not surprising given that student subjects are “close to hand” for university-based researchers and in an environment that can be monitored and regulated to some degree, and that college administrators have raised the demand for interventions with demonstrated effectiveness. NIAAA’s College AIM product demonstrates that this campus-focused research has borne fruit.

However, other population segments in the same age category have been understudied. These most notably include young adults who are in the military, the workforce, or community colleges, and subjects of all genders and gender orientations. This solicitation encourages research on: the dynamics of risk and protective factors for alcohol misuse, AUD and other alcohol-related consequences among these groups, the development and validation of effective prevention interventions, and the improvement of screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) protocols for these groups.

Research Objectives

It is highly encouraged that women and minorities, especially in the understudied groups, as participants in research involving human subjects are included as described in NIH Policies for Research Involving Human Subjects. NIAAA also encourages that individuals who identify as members of the LBGTQ community are included as participants in the studies proposed from this solicitation.

Given these considerations, NIAAA will encourage the submission of, but is not limited to, research applications in the following areas.

• Studies that adapt and validate interventions known to be efficacious in college populations to other young adult populations.
• Studies of novel interventions that have been specifically developed to be efficacious in understudied populations of young adults.
• Studies of whether the constellation of risk and protective factors operate in the same way among both college and non-college populations, and the identification of risk and protective factors particularly salient among young adults in the workforce, military, community college setting or who are unemployed.
• Studies of whether the developmental trajectories of risk and protective factors accelerate or decelerate among young adult populations depending on their environment.
• Trials of the most effective ways to deliver prevention interventions to young adults in settings other than college campuses.
• Trials evaluating screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment targeted to young adults in the workforce, military, or community college setting.
• Trials of improved methods for delivering screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment targeted to young adults in the understudied groups.
• The impact of PTSD and combat deployment as comorbidities in the risks of alcohol use disorders among young adult military and veteran populations.
• Gaps in health disparities among young adults.
• Studies comparing the impact of alcohol policies on college and other young adult populations.

Small business concerns are encouraged to submit their technology ideas for funding consideration to the SBIR/STTR specific Parent Announcements (R43, R44, R41, R42). To learn more about the SBIR/STTR program and to view eligibility requirements, please visit the NIAAA SBIR/STTR program webpage.

Notice of NIH's Interest in Workforce Diversity

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Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in, and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust.

NIH strongly encourages applicants to include a diverse group of scientists in their research programs, including individuals from underrepresented backgrounds (see NOT-OD-20-031, Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity and NOT-OD-22-019, Reminder: Notice of NIH’s Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities)

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after June 5, 2022 and subsequent receipt dates through September 8, 2025. 

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.

• PA-20-185- NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-183- NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-20-200 - NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-194 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PAR-21-038: Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Small Business applications must be submitted to the following FOAs or its subsequent reissued equivalent:

• PA-21-259: NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (Parent R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-21-262: NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant (Parent R41/42 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-21-260: NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (Parent R43/R44 Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-21-261: NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Grant (Parent R41/42 Clinical Trial Required)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-AA-22-001" (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

Inquiries

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Bradley Kerridge, Ph.D.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Phone: 301 827 7493
Email: bradley.kerridge@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Judy Fox
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Telephone: 301-443-4707
Email: jfox@mail.nih.gov