Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Research (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 23 187

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 187

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is offering an R01 research grant opportunity titled "Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Research (R01 Clinical Trial Required)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-23-187; CFDA 93.273). The overall purpose is to support health services research that helps close the persistent treatment gap for people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), meaning the large share of individuals who could benefit from evidence-based care but do not receive it or do not stay engaged long enough to achieve meaningful recovery outcomes. This opportunity is positioned within alcohol health services research rather than basic science, with a strong emphasis on generating practical, actionable evidence that can improve how AUD services are accessed, delivered, financed, implemented, and tailored to communities most affected by gaps in care.

The NOFO highlights five broad areas of emphasis. First, it prioritizes studies aimed at increasing access to AUD treatment, which can include addressing logistical barriers (availability of services, geographic reach, clinic capacity), system barriers (referral pathways, integration into primary care or emergency departments), and patient-facing barriers (transportation, scheduling, digital access). Second, it encourages work on making AUD treatment more appealing, which generally speaks to improving acceptability, engagement, and retention. This can involve examining how services are presented and offered, reducing stigma in healthcare settings, improving patient experience, and testing approaches that better align with patients preferences, goals, and real-world constraints. Third, the NOFO calls for research examining cost structures and insurance systems, recognizing that benefit design, reimbursement policies, out-of-pocket costs, and provider payment models can strongly influence whether treatment is available and sustainable. Projects in this area might analyze how financing affects provider behavior, access, continuity of care, and patient outcomes, including the effects of policy or payer changes.

Fourth, the announcement places major weight on dissemination and implementation research focused on existing evidence-based approaches to treating AUD. In practice, this means moving beyond whether an intervention works under ideal conditions and instead studying how proven treatments can be adopted, delivered with fidelity, scaled, and maintained in real-world settings such as primary care clinics, specialty addiction programs, hospitals, criminal legal settings, community organizations, or digital platforms. Fifth, and woven throughout the entire NOFO, is an emphasis on reducing health disparities as a direct strategy to address the AUD treatment gap. The goal here is to support research that identifies and reduces inequities in access, quality, engagement, and outcomes for health disparity populations, including communities that have historically faced structural barriers to care. This focus invites careful attention to culturally responsive approaches, community-informed study design, and practical strategies that reduce differential burdens created by geography, socioeconomic conditions, discrimination, and uneven healthcare infrastructure.

This is a discretionary grant using the NIH R01 mechanism, and the announcement indicates that clinical trials are required as part of the funded research activity. The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicants across sectors, reflecting the reality that meaningful improvements in AUD treatment systems often require partnerships across academia, healthcare systems, public health agencies, and community organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations 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 NOFO also explicitly notes additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized; faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible agencies of the federal government; regional organizations; non-U.S. (foreign) entities; and U.S. territories or possessions.

Key administrative details provided include an original closing date of 2023-07-18 and a creation date of 2023-05-15. The summary information available does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, but the central takeaway is that NIAAA is seeking rigorous, clinically grounded health services research that can produce measurable improvements in the reach, attractiveness, affordability, implementation, and equity of AUD treatment and recovery supports, with the explicit objective of shrinking the gap between evidence-based care and what people with AUD actually receive.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Research (R01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-05-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-18. (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 23 187

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