The Application of Big Data Analytics to Drug Abuse Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 057

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 057

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), offered this funding opportunity to push drug abuse and addiction research forward by applying modern big data analytics to the massive and increasingly complex datasets now being generated in the field. The core idea is that addiction is shaped by interacting biological and behavioral processes, and those processes are now being measured at many levels at once, from genes and molecules to brain circuits, clinical outcomes, and real-world social and environmental conditions. This FOA is meant to support projects that can use advanced computational methods to find clearer patterns, deeper mechanisms, and potentially entirely new insights that traditional analytic approaches might miss.

A major emphasis of the opportunity is on developing and/or using computational approaches capable of handling large, complex, and diverse data types. NIDA highlights the explosion of data coming from genetic and epigenetic studies, molecular and cellular measurements, proteomics and metabolomics, brain imaging and micro-electrode recordings, as well as behavioral, clinical, social, treatment services, and environmental research. It also explicitly points to electronic health records as an important and growing source of information. Because these data streams can be high-dimensional, noisy, and collected across different platforms and settings, the FOA encourages more powerful analytic methods and visualization tools that can better capture the richness and structure of the data. In practice, that can include methods for integrating multiple data types, identifying subgroups or trajectories, modeling risk and resilience, improving prediction, uncovering hidden relationships, and making results interpretable to scientists and clinicians through better visual and interactive tools.

The award mechanism is an R01 research project grant, with clinical trials listed as optional, meaning applicants could propose studies that do or do not include a clinical trial component depending on the project goals. The overall intent is not simply to generate more data, but to make better use of existing and emerging datasets by applying scalable computing, sophisticated statistics, machine learning, and other big data strategies tailored to substance use and addiction research questions. The opportunity sits within NIH’s broader research mission and is categorized under education and health (CFDA 93.279), reflecting its biomedical and public health focus.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not higher education institutions); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other qualifying entities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible groups such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, certain non-federally recognized tribal governments, eligible federal agencies, and even non-U.S. (foreign) entities are also listed as eligible, signaling an interest in attracting a wide range of scientific, clinical, and technical expertise.

Key administrative details from the source listing include the funding opportunity title, "The Application of Big Data Analytics to Drug Abuse Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)," and the funding opportunity number PA-18-057. It is described as a discretionary grant program administered by NIH. The posting indicates an original closing date of May 7, 2019, and a creation date of November 1, 2017. An award ceiling is not specified in the provided source data, and the expected number of awards is not listed there either. Overall, the opportunity is designed to accelerate progress in understanding addiction by enabling researchers to extract more meaningful, actionable knowledge from the increasingly large and complex datasets that modern addiction science can now produce and store.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Application of Big Data Analytics to Drug Abuse Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-05-07. (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 PA 18 057

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