The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has announced a funding opportunity titled "Mechanistic Research on Neuromodulation for Substance Use Disorders Treatment" (R61/R33 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). This initiative aims to encourage exploratory and developmental research focused on identifying and validating novel targets for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and understanding the neurobiological and cognitive responses that precede clinical outcomes such as reduced cravings or substance use. The funding is critical for advancing innovative methodologies in substance use disorder (SUD) research, with a maximum award of $600,000 available for the R61 phase over two years, and applications are due by August 14, 2026. For further inquiries, interested applicants can contact NIH Grants Information at grantsinfo@nih.gov or visit the opportunity's webpage at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-24-034.html.

RFA-DA-24-034.html

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has announced a funding opportunity aimed at advancing mechanistic research on non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for treating substance use disorders (SUD). This notice encourages exploratory and developmental applications under the R61/R33 phased award mechanism. Proposals should focus on identifying and validating novel NIBS targets, understanding related neurobiological and cognitive responses that precede clinical outcomes such as cravings or substance use reduction. A critical requirement is the submission of a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) to ensure inclusivity during the research process. The maximum funding for the R61 phase is $600,000 over two years, with successful projects able to transition to the R33 phase for further funding. Applications are due by August 14, 2026. The initiative underscores the urgent need for innovative research methodologies to better understand the mechanisms underlying SUDs and support the development of effective treatment options, enhancing overall outcomes in public health.

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-24-034.html

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to encourage clinical research that will identify and validate novel targets for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and SUD-relevant neurobiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses to NIBS that precede clinical outcomes like reduced craving or drug use. Applications are expected to be exploratory and developmental in nature. As such, these studies may involve considerable risk of failure but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area that could have a major impact on SUD research involving NIBS. This NOFO uses a R61/R33 Phased Innovation award activity code to support applications that propose mechanistic studies designed to understand a behavior or biological process, the pathophysiology of a disease, or the mechanism of action of an intervention. In addition, applications must meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial. NIH defines a clinical trial as A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes. (NOT-OD-15-015)

See Section VII. Agency Contacts within the full opportunity announcement for all other inquires.

NIH Grants Information&lt;br/&gt;grantsinfo@nih.gov

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