Emergency Department Substance Use Surveillance System | EDS EDS 23 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for EDS EDS 23 001

The Emergency Department Substance Use Surveillance System grant is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to support research that strengthens drug policy through better, faster surveillance of emerging substance use trends. The central idea is to build an early warning capability by re-testing urine specimens that were already collected in routine clinical or institutional settings and previously tested under standard protocols. Instead of paying to collect brand-new samples, the project re-uses specimens that would otherwise be discarded, making it a relatively low-cost and timely approach to detecting shifts in drug use patterns.

The opportunity aims to refine and expand a methodology that ONDCP has already piloted in local criminal justice populations, such as people in pre-trial detention or lock-up, individuals on probation or parole, and drug court participants. ONDCP believes the same approach can be adapted to other high-value settings where biological samples are commonly collected, especially trauma units and emergency departments. In those hospital settings, specimens are often obtained for clinical reasons, and the project would re-test them before disposal using an expanded drug panel that includes substances frequently missed by conventional testing, specifically highlighting fentanyl and methamphetamine. A key goal is to compare what is detected by standard test panels versus what is revealed through more comprehensive testing, helping identify systematic testing gaps and blind spots.

Another major focus is understanding how drug detection patterns differ by subpopulation and geography. By applying the expanded testing across emergency department populations in multiple locations around the United States, the project is intended to produce insight into local and regional drug trends, including the appearance of new illicit substances or changes in the prevalence of established drugs. This geographic expansion is meant to improve both local situational awareness and broader national surveillance, so that stakeholders can respond more quickly to emerging threats.

ONDCP also encourages applicants to validate and contextualize laboratory findings using other data sources, particularly de-identified electronic health records (EHR) from patients treated in hospital care settings. Using EHR-derived indicators alongside toxicology results can help confirm positivity trends, clarify how substance use presents clinically, and improve interpretation of what expanded testing reveals compared to routine practice. The end use of this combined evidence base is to reinforce best-practice guidelines, support testing standardization, and strengthen surveillance capacity that can operate consistently across jurisdictions and facilities.

Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, which can include hospitals and academic institutions. The award instrument is a cooperative agreement, signaling ONDCP expects substantial involvement in the project’s execution and direction rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: EDS EDS 23 001; CFDA: 95.007) anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $300,000. The original posting date was August 21, 2023, with an original closing date of September 5, 2023.

• The Office of National Drug Control Policy in the health, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Emergency Department Substance Use Surveillance System" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 95.007.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 05, 2023 No Explanation. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for EDS EDS 23 001

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