The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) about a special interest in mentored career development applications with a focus on 1) clinical research involving design and collection of large-scale data, and/or 2) quantitative research on existing large-scale datasets such as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and the Human Connectome Project (HCP).

Background

In recent years, sample sizes in normative and psychiatric neuroimaging studies sometimes extend into the tens of thousands. Such large-scale studies range from aggregated datasets intended for mega- and meta-analyses (e.g., ENIGMA) to prospective, controlled, multi-site studies (e.g., HCP, ABCD). To successfully generate and utilize such data, a detailed understanding of complex clinical design and large-scale analyses is required. Multiple recent commentaries note that clinical studies on neuropsychiatric disorders, including substance use disorder (SUD), have largely resulted in small effects sizes; moving forward, clinical studies will require large samples to confront the heterogeneity and multi-causal nature of these disorders. Accordingly, the next generation of SUD researchers will need training in “Big Data” techniques in addition to traditional experimental/analytical methods.

The ABCD Study, launched in 2015, is the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, collecting data from nearly 12,000 youth and their parents/caregivers beginning at ages 9 and 10. The size and complexity of the study offers unique training opportunities to address some of the challenges described above and to better prepare the next generation of SUD researchers.

Research Objectives

NIDA seeks applications to support mentored career development towards 1) clinical research involving design and collection of large-scale data, and/or 2) quantitative research on existing large-scale datasets such as the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) and similar datasets (e.g., HCP).

Research interests include but are not limited to:

• Individual differences associated with increased risk for and/or resilience to SUD (e.g., sex/gender differences, behavioral and cognitive traits, epigenetics)
• Understanding the role of environmental factors (e.g., psychosocial stress) on substance use trajectories
• Co-morbid psychiatric disorders and transdiagnostic risk factors
• Mechanistic studies on the consequences of substance use
• Identification of reliable biobehavioral signatures, biomarkers, and/or cultural and familial factors that predict risk or resilience to substance use
• Computational approaches to investigating SUD-related behaviors and underlying neural mechanisms
• Design and acquisition of multi-site imaging studies
• Tools development for automated quality control of imaging data

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after June 12, 2020 and subsequent receipt dates through September 8, 2023.

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-19-117 (Parent K08) Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-116 (Parent K08) Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-19-119 (Parent K23) Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-118 (Parent K23) Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-19-124 (Parent K25) Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-125 (Parent K25) Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-19-126 (Parent K01) Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-127 (Parent K01) Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Independent Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-19-130 (Parent K99/R00) NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-19-129 (Parent K99/R00) NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Independent 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-DA-20-006” (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 be not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

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

Please direct all inquiries to the contacts in Section VII of the listed funding opportunity announcements with the following additions/substitutions:

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Vani Pariyadath, Ph.D.
Division of Neuroscience and Behavior
Telephone: 301-443-3209
Email: vani.pariyadath@nih.gov