Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 074

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 074

The Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R03 Clinical Trial Optional), Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-074, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity designed to support small, focused research projects that can be finished within a two-year period. It uses the R03 mechanism, which generally fits early, discrete studies that generate preliminary data, refine methods, or test the practicality of a new approach before pursuing a larger-scale project. The funding is capped at $50,000 (award ceiling listed as 50000), and the opportunity is labeled "clinical trial optional," meaning applicants may propose a project that includes a clinical trial if appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required.

The program’s main goal is to stimulate early-stage (Stage I) development of behavioral or integrative interventions. "Integrative" here refers to approaches that combine behavioral strategies with other components, such as pharmacological treatment, in a coordinated way. The targeted problem areas are clearly defined: (a) substance abuse, (b) preventing the acquisition or transmission of HIV among people who are in drug abuse treatment, (c) improving adherence to drug abuse treatment as well as HIV and addiction medications, and (d) chronic pain. In practical terms, the FOA is looking for projects that build, refine, and test interventions that can change health-related behaviors and improve real-world outcomes for people affected by addiction, HIV risk in treatment settings, medication adherence challenges, and pain that may overlap with substance use concerns.

The FOA highlights several examples of the kinds of studies NIH wants to encourage, all centered on Stage I treatment development work. One major category is Stage I intervention generation, which is the initial creation of a new intervention or a meaningful adaptation of an existing one to a new population, setting, or delivery format. Another category is Stage I pilot or feasibility research, where the emphasis is on whether an intervention can be delivered as intended, whether participants will enroll and stay engaged, whether the procedures are workable, and whether outcome measures can be collected reliably. A notable expectation for these early projects is attention to the "how" and "why" of behavior change: applicants are encouraged to develop and test putative moderators (factors that influence for whom or under what conditions an intervention works), mediators (variables that help explain the pathway from intervention to outcome), and other candidate mechanisms of change. The FOA also calls out Stage I studies aimed at generating or refining drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions specifically, as well as Stage I research focused on strengthening intervention effects and increasing implementability. That last theme explicitly encourages creative use of technology or other methods to make interventions easier to deliver, more scalable, and more likely to be adopted in real clinical or community settings.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can contribute to behavioral health and intervention development research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those specific nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and an "other" category. The FOA also specifically highlights additional eligible groups and settings such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) entities. Taken together, this signals NIH interest in diverse institutional participation and in interventions that may be relevant across different communities and service systems.

In terms of basic administrative details provided in the source data, the sponsoring agency is NIH, and the activity aligns with the education and health funding category. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.273 and 93.279. The record shows an original closing date of 2019-01-07 and a creation date of 2017-11-02, indicating this particular posting reflects that application window. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a small-grant pathway for researchers who want to quickly and rigorously develop, adapt, and pilot promising behavioral or combined behavioral-pharmacological interventions in substance use, HIV prevention in treatment contexts, treatment and medication adherence, and chronic pain, while also building the early evidence base about mechanisms and practical implementation.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R03 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, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-07. (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 $50,000.00 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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