NIDA REI: Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Structural Racism on the Substance Use Trajectory (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 23 029

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 23 029

This NIH opportunity from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a discretionary grant solicitation titled "NIDA REI: Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Structural Racism on the Substance Use Trajectory (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-23-029; CFDA 93.279). It uses the R61/R33 phased innovation mechanism, which is generally designed to support an initial exploratory, proof-of-concept phase (R61) followed by a second phase (R33) that expands or validates the work once early milestones are met. Clinical trials are optional, meaning projects may be purely basic or mechanistic, or they may include clinical trial elements if appropriate for the research questions.

The central goal is to support exploratory basic research that clarifies how racism, particularly structural racism and interpersonal racism, influences neurocognitive processes in ways that shape substance use trajectories. A key feature of the concept is "parsing" structural racism into sub-components, rather than treating it as a single, broad exposure. In practice, this points to studies that break structural racism down into measurable elements (for example, policies, institutional practices, neighborhood conditions, differential access to resources, exposure to policing or criminal-legal involvement, educational inequities, housing segregation, or healthcare access barriers) and then examine how those distinct elements relate to neurocognitive mechanisms connected to risk for substance use initiation, escalation, persistence, relapse, or recovery. The emphasis is on generating mechanistic insights that can ultimately inform prevention, including identifying targets, sensitive periods, or modifiable pathways that preventive interventions could address.

The scientific focus is explicitly neurocognitive mechanisms, which commonly include processes like stress reactivity and regulation, executive function, inhibitory control, reward processing, decision-making under uncertainty, learning and habit formation, attention, working memory, emotion regulation, and threat processing. The solicitation is framed around understanding how racism-related exposures may alter these processes and thereby influence substance use risk across time. Because the opportunity stresses exploratory basic research, responsive projects would typically prioritize clear conceptual models, rigorous measurement of racism-related constructs, and strong neurocognitive or neurobehavioral approaches, with the end goal of producing evidence that can guide prevention strategies rather than only documenting disparities.

Eligibility is centered on institutions of higher education, including public/state-controlled and private institutions, with an emphasis on Minority Serving Institutions. The opportunity explicitly names additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply as applicant components. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means a U.S.-based applicant organization can include a defined foreign component in the project if it is well-justified and consistent with NIH policy.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on 2022-08-09 and lists an original closing date of 2024-11-14. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is listed under education and health, consistent with NIH research funding. Some fields such as award ceiling and expected awards are not specified in the provided source data, so applicants would normally confirm budget structure, project period limits, and milestone requirements by reviewing the full RFA text and NIH application instructions for the R61/R33 mechanism.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building a stronger mechanistic evidence base about how structural and interpersonal racism become biologically and cognitively embedded in ways that affect substance use risk, with Minority Serving Institutions positioned as key leaders in this research. The intended payoff is not only improved scientific understanding, but also actionable knowledge that can support the design or refinement of preventive interventions that reduce risk and interrupt pathways from racism-related exposures to harmful substance use outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDA REI: Research at Minority Serving Institutions on Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Structural Racism on the Substance Use Trajectory (R61/R33 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 2022-08-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for RFA DA 23 029

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