Key Dates

Related Announcements

• March 20, 2023 - NIDA Avant-Garde Program for HIV and Substance Use Disorder Research (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional).  See Notice PAR-23-269.
• March 20, 2023 - Avenir Award Program for Research on Substance Use Disorders and HIV (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional).  See Notice PAR-23-125.

Issued by

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Purpose

This notice is to clarify the integration of substance use and HIV research in the research projects submitted for NIDA’s Director’s Pioneer Series Awards including PAR-23-269: NIDA Avant-Garde Program for HIV and Substance Use Disorder Research (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional) and PAR-23-125: Avenir Award Program for Research on Substance Use Disorders and HIV (DP2 Clinical Trial Optional).

The Avant Garde and Avenir programs invite research grant applications addressing high priority HIV research areas for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the NIH (as stated in the NOT-OD-20-018: UPDATE: NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for Determining HIV/AIDS Funding).

The NIDA HIV research program supports research at the intersection of substance use, HIV, and related comorbidities that generates evidence-based strategies to improve individual and public health. Listed below are the NIDA’s HIV research priorities.

• Prevent new infections and transmission of HIV among people who use drugs and their sexual and/or injection partners.
• Increase understanding of etiology, pathogenesis, spread, and persistence of HIV/AIDS among people who use drugs.
• Address comorbidities and improve health outcomes among people living with HIV who use drugs.
• Accelerate scientific discoveries in HIV/AIDS and substance use research.

NIDA developed the DP1 PAR-23-269 and DP2 PAR-23-125 funding opportunities to accelerate scientific discoveries at the intersection of HIV and substance use research. Both these funding opportunities require the applicants to clearly define the nexus with substance use in their HIV research projects. Examples of relevant studies include research using populations and/or samples from people with substance use disorder (SUD); studies using in vitro systems and/or animal models that test the effects of addictive substances on HIV pathogenesis, disease progression, persistence or treatment responses; and studies to develop interventions or treatments that are tailored to people with SUD.

We hereby provide additional guidance on consideration of substance use in the Avant-Garde (DP1) and Avenir (DP2) research projects. NIDA requires these DP1 and DP2 HIV research projects to explain ‘how’ and ‘why’ substance use is considered in the research project by either addressing aspects of substance use in research and analysis as applicable in the individual research projects or by making clear the implications of the research for people using drugs or with a SUD. The research plan must clearly explain:

• Why substance use is relevant and/or significant to the proposed HIV research problem?
• How will the research plan or methodology address substance use?
• For applications that include intervention or implementation studies, as well as observational studies that are concerned with HIV epidemiology or etiology, the study design needs to assess outcomes relevant to substance use in the context of HIV, or the implication of outcomes to people who use drugs or have a SUD.
• For basic research studies, the methodologies must incorporate testing the role of substance use in the proposed biological mechanisms, and/or consider the implications of biological mechanisms related to substance use or exposure.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Redonna Chandler, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-402-1919
Email: redonna.chandler@nida.nih.gov

Vasundhara Varthakavi, DVM, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-443-2146
Email: vasundhara.varthakavi@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Dharmendar Rathore, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-402-6965
Email: dharmendar.rathore@nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Pamela Fleming
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-480-1159
Email: pfleming@nih.gov