Alcohol Health Services Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 22 156

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 156

The Alcohol Health Services Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (PAR 22-156) is a National Institutes of Health grant program sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). It supports health services research aimed at reducing the large gap between the number of people who have alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the number who actually receive effective care. In practical terms, the FOA is looking for studies that help the field understand how to get more people into treatment, how to make treatment easier to start and stick with, and how to improve real-world systems of care so that evidence-based AUD services are delivered more consistently and equitably.

The announcement lays out five main research emphasis areas. First, it encourages projects that increase access to AUD treatment. This can include work that removes structural barriers (for example, limited provider availability, geographic challenges, long wait times, or lack of service integration) and evaluates strategies that help people reach care sooner or in more convenient settings, including primary care, emergency departments, community clinics, or via telehealth. Second, it prioritizes research on making AUD treatment more appealing. This focuses on the patient side of the treatment gap: how to improve engagement, reduce stigma, increase acceptability of different treatment options, and better align services with patient preferences, cultural context, and everyday life demands that often interfere with treatment participation.

Third, the FOA highlights the need to examine cost structures and insurance systems that shape what care is offered and who can afford it. This includes studies that look at financing, reimbursement models, benefit design, prior authorization, network adequacy, and other payer-related mechanisms that can either support or obstruct access to AUD services. A strong application in this area might evaluate how policy and payment approaches influence provider behavior, service availability, continuity of care, and overall cost-effectiveness for health systems and communities.

Fourth, NIAAA is explicitly interested in dissemination and implementation research focused on getting proven, evidence-based AUD treatments used more widely and more faithfully in routine practice. Rather than testing whether an intervention works under ideal conditions, this area centers on what it takes to scale effective approaches across settings, train and support staff, integrate workflows, measure quality, and sustain improvements over time. This can include evaluating implementation strategies, identifying barriers and facilitators, and studying how organizations adopt and maintain effective AUD screening, brief intervention, pharmacotherapy, behavioral therapies, and recovery supports.

Fifth, the FOA emphasizes reducing health disparities as an essential pathway to closing the treatment gap, particularly for populations that have been historically underserved or disproportionately affected by barriers to care. Projects responsive to this priority may examine inequities in access, quality, outcomes, and patient experience, and test system-level or community-informed approaches to improve equity. The intent is not only to document disparities, but to generate actionable evidence on how to reduce them through service delivery redesign, policy changes, culturally responsive models of care, and implementation strategies tailored to specific contexts.

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, meaning it is designed for substantial, hypothesis-driven or well-justified research projects with clear aims and rigorous methods. It is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," which signals that applicants may propose a clinical trial if it fits the research questions, but they are not required to do so; non-trial health services research, policy analysis, implementation studies, and other rigorous designs can also be appropriate. The activity category is health, and the CFDA numbers listed are 93.273 and 93.313.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can contribute to alcohol health services research. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, and U.S. territories or possessions. That breadth reflects the reality that solutions to the AUD treatment gap often require partnerships across healthcare, public health, community organizations, and policy environments.

The source information indicates the original closing date was 2023-05-07 and the FOA was created on 2022-04-07. An award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which is common for NIH FOAs where budgets are typically determined by project scope, NIH policy, and institute priorities rather than a single fixed maximum. Overall, the opportunity is targeted at producing practical, decision-relevant evidence that improves how AUD care is financed, organized, delivered, and sustained, with a clear throughline: more people receiving effective treatment, with fewer inequities in who benefits from the healthcare system.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alcohol Health Services 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): 93.273, 93.313.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-04-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-07. (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 PAR 22 156

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