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.Apply for EDS EDS 23 001
- 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.
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Emergency Department Substance Use Surveillance System (ONDCP) - FAQs
What is the Emergency Department Substance Use Surveillance System grant?
It is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to support research that strengthens drug policy by improving the speed and quality of surveillance for emerging substance use trends.
What problem is this opportunity trying to solve?
The project is designed to strengthen early warning capability for shifts in drug use patterns by improving detection of emerging substances and trends that may be missed by routine testing practices, especially in high-value clinical settings like emergency departments and trauma units.
What is the central approach proposed in this opportunity?
The central idea is to re-test urine specimens that were already collected in routine clinical or institutional settings and previously tested under standard protocols. Instead of collecting new samples, the project re-uses specimens that would otherwise be discarded.
Why does the opportunity emphasize re-testing existing specimens instead of collecting new samples?
Re-using specimens that would otherwise be discarded is described as a relatively low-cost and timely way to detect changes in drug use patterns, because it avoids the costs and delays associated with new specimen collection.
What types of settings does ONDCP believe this approach can be adapted to?
ONDCP believes the methodology can be adapted to other high-value settings where biological samples are commonly collected, specifically highlighting trauma units and emergency departments.
Has ONDCP used this methodology before?
Yes. ONDCP has already piloted this approach in local criminal justice populations, including people in pre-trial detention or lock-up, individuals on probation or parole, and drug court participants. This opportunity aims to refine and expand that methodology to other settings such as hospitals.
What specimens are intended to be re-tested?
The opportunity specifically describes re-testing urine specimens that were already collected under routine clinical or institutional practices and previously tested using standard protocols.
What is meant by an "early warning capability" in this program?
It refers to the ability to detect emerging substance use trends sooner by applying expanded toxicology testing to routinely collected specimens, helping stakeholders recognize new illicit substances or changing prevalence of established drugs more quickly.
What is the expanded drug panel expected to include?
The expanded panel is intended to include substances frequently missed by conventional testing, specifically highlighting fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Why are fentanyl and methamphetamine specifically highlighted?
The opportunity notes these are substances frequently missed by conventional testing and are therefore important targets for expanded testing to identify blind spots in standard test panels.
What comparison does ONDCP want applicants to make related to testing?
A key goal is to compare what is detected by standard test panels versus what is revealed through more comprehensive testing, to help identify systematic testing gaps and blind spots.
How does geography factor into the project?
The project is intended to apply expanded testing across emergency department populations in multiple locations around the United States to produce insight into local and regional drug trends, including new illicit substances and changing prevalence patterns.
What is the purpose of expanding across multiple locations in the United States?
The geographic expansion is meant to improve local situational awareness and strengthen broader national surveillance, so stakeholders can respond more quickly to emerging threats.
Does the opportunity mention analyzing differences by subpopulation?
Yes. Another major focus is understanding how drug detection patterns differ by subpopulation and geography.
What additional data sources does ONDCP encourage applicants to use?
ONDCP 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.
How can de-identified EHR data be used in this project?
EHR-derived indicators can be used alongside toxicology results to help confirm positivity trends, clarify how substance use presents clinically, and improve interpretation of what expanded testing reveals compared to routine practice.
What is the intended end use of combining toxicology results with EHR-derived indicators?
The combined evidence base is intended to reinforce best-practice guidelines, support testing standardization, and strengthen surveillance capacity that can operate consistently across jurisdictions and facilities.
Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
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.
Are hospitals allowed to apply?
Yes. The eligibility description notes that nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations can include hospitals, and eligible entities also include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education (which may include academic medical centers).
What type of funding instrument is this award?
The award instrument is a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement?
It signals that ONDCP expects substantial involvement in the project’s execution and direction rather than a hands-off grant.
How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What is the funding ceiling for the anticipated award?
The funding ceiling was $300,000.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this grant?
Funding Opportunity Number: EDS EDS 23 001.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
CFDA: 95.007.
When was the opportunity originally posted?
The original posting date was August 21, 2023.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was September 5, 2023.
What types of populations were referenced in the prior pilot work?
The prior pilot work referenced local criminal justice populations such as people in pre-trial detention or lock-up, individuals on probation or parole, and drug court participants.
What clinical settings are specifically called out as high-value for adaptation?
Trauma units and emergency departments are specifically highlighted as settings where specimens are often obtained for clinical reasons and could be re-tested before disposal.
What does the opportunity suggest about the speed of this surveillance method?
It describes the approach as timely because it leverages specimens already collected in routine settings, enabling faster insight into emerging drug trends than approaches that require new specimen collection.
What does the opportunity suggest about the cost of this surveillance method?
It is described as relatively low-cost because it re-uses existing specimens that would otherwise be discarded, rather than funding brand-new collection efforts.
What kinds of insights is the project expected to generate?
The project is intended to provide insight into local and regional drug trends, detect the appearance of new illicit substances, identify changes in the prevalence of established drugs, and reveal where routine testing may be missing key substances.
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