HEAL Initiative: Research Networks for the Study of Recovery Support Services for Persons Treated with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (R24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 22 043

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 22 043

The HEAL Initiative funding opportunity titled "Research Networks for the Study of Recovery Support Services for Persons Treated with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (R24 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-22-043) is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant program designed to strengthen the national research infrastructure around recovery support services for people who are currently taking, or have previously taken, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Rather than primarily paying for a single large clinical study, the emphasis is on building and coordinating research networks that can generate stronger, more practical evidence about which recovery supports work, for whom they work, and under what real-world conditions they are most effective.

A central goal of the announcement is to speed up progress toward high-quality efficacy and effectiveness research on recovery support services. In this context, "infrastructure support" means resources that help a field mature: convening the right partners, creating shared tools and datasets, running small pilot projects to test feasibility and sharpen future study designs, and training researchers and practitioners to carry out the next generation of rigorous studies. The FOA expects funded networks to operate as multi-stakeholder collaborations that include not just academic researchers and students, but also payors, providers, and people with lived experience of recovery. In practice, this means applicants should be prepared to demonstrate meaningful engagement across the systems that shape recovery outcomes, including healthcare, behavioral health treatment, community-based services, housing, education, and local or regional recovery ecosystems.

The activities supported under this R24 mechanism are geared toward building capacity and coordination. The announcement specifically highlights meetings, conferences, and other convenings to align stakeholders and define shared research priorities. It also calls out small-scale pilots, which are typically used to test recruitment strategies, refine interventions or service models, validate measures, and establish operational workflows before launching larger trials or implementation studies. Data development work is another supported activity, which can include harmonizing measures across sites, creating common data elements, improving data linkage or interoperability, and building resources that make multi-site research easier to execute and compare. The FOA also encourages short-term educational opportunities such as intensive workshops, summer institutes, or visiting scholar programs, reflecting an intent to expand the pipeline of trained investigators and practitioners who can contribute to recovery support services research. Finally, dissemination is built into the infrastructure concept, so networks are expected to share knowledge and products that help the field grow, such as toolkits, methodological guidance, data resources, or syntheses of lessons learned.

The FOA lays out priority research areas that networks may focus on. These include active recovery communities and recovery residences, both of which play major roles in many peoples recovery journeys and can vary widely by model, quality, and access. Education-based recovery support services are also emphasized, reflecting the growing interest in recovery supports for students and educational environments where relapse risk, stigma, and continuity of care can be critical issues. Continuing care models are another priority, aligning with the need for sustained supports after acute or intensive treatment, especially for individuals maintained on MOUD. The FOA also highlights recovery support services tailored to the needs of specific minority health populations and specific health disparities populations, signaling an expectation that networks will address inequities in access, engagement, and outcomes. In addition, the announcement encourages networks that serve U.S. regions not already covered by existing Recovery Research Network projects, which is meant to reduce geographic gaps and ensure the research infrastructure is not concentrated in only a handful of areas. Applicants may also propose other priority areas, as long as they are well justified and aligned with the FOAs overall purpose of advancing evidence on recovery supports for people treated with MOUD.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations that can support or participate in network-building work. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); 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 notes additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the opportunity clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In other words, applications must be fully domestic in both applicant status and project components.

The opportunity is categorized under education and health activities and is offered as a grant. The CFDA numbers associated with the announcement are 93.213, 93.273, 93.279, 93.846, and 93.866. The listed award ceiling is $400,000, indicating that proposed network infrastructure activities must be scoped realistically within that maximum budget level. The FOA was created on December 29, 2021, with an original closing date of March 10, 2022, which is important for historical reference even though the deadline shown is in the past. The clinical trial designation is "optional," which typically signals that the network itself does not have to run a clinical trial, but may include clinical trial activity if it fits the infrastructure and pilot aims and meets NIH requirements.

Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as a capacity-building and coordination grant intended to strengthen the research pipeline on recovery support services for people who use or have used MOUD. Successful applicants would be expected to show a credible plan for building a durable, multi-stakeholder network; producing shared resources that make future studies easier and stronger; addressing one or more of the FOAs priority recovery support areas (including equity and geographic coverage considerations); and disseminating outputs in ways that help the broader field move toward more rigorous, actionable evidence.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Research Networks for the Study of Recovery Support Services for Persons Treated with Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (R24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.273, 93.279, 93.846, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-12-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-10. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

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