Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 23 186

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 186

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is seeking proposals under the Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (PAR 23-186). This grant is designed to support early, developmental work in alcohol health services research with the overarching goal of closing the treatment gap for people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). In practical terms, the program is aimed at improving how AUD care is reached, delivered, paid for, implemented, and tailored so that more people who need effective services are able to get them and stick with them.

The opportunity is centered on five main research emphasis areas. First, it prioritizes studies that increase access to AUD treatment, which can include research on overcoming barriers such as limited provider availability, geographic challenges, fragmented referral pathways, and difficulties integrating AUD services into common entry points like primary care or community settings. Second, it encourages work that makes treatment more appealing to individuals with AUD, recognizing that uptake depends not only on availability but also on how acceptable, convenient, culturally responsive, and person-centered the services feel to potential patients. Third, it calls for research examining cost structures and insurance systems, reflecting the reality that payment models, reimbursement rules, coverage limitations, and administrative burdens can strongly shape whether evidence-based AUD care is offered and sustained. Fourth, it supports dissemination and implementation studies focused on existing evidence-based approaches for treating AUD, meaning projects can examine how proven interventions are adopted in real-world settings, what prevents or enables faithful delivery, and what strategies help scale effective care across systems. Fifth, the NOFO highlights reducing health disparities as a direct strategy for closing the AUD treatment gap, encouraging applicants to address inequities experienced by health disparity populations and to develop or test approaches that improve reach and outcomes for groups who have historically faced barriers to care.

The funding instrument is a discretionary grant, and the activity area is health (CFDA 93.273). The mechanism is R34, and clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose studies that do or do not involve a clinical trial depending on the research question and design. The announcement was created on May 15, 2023, with an original closing date of July 18, 2023, indicating a defined submission window for that cycle.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that are positioned to conduct health services research or partner with service systems. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; 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 tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other categories. The NOFO also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants 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, tribal governments other than federally recognized, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility reflects an intent to encourage participation from a range of research, healthcare, and community organizations, including those serving populations most affected by treatment access gaps and health disparities.

Overall, this opportunity supports research that helps translate what is known to work for AUD into real-world systems, while also addressing the financial and structural conditions that determine whether patients can actually receive those services. The emphasis on access, acceptability, financing, implementation, and disparities signals that NIAAA is looking for projects that can realistically move the needle on treatment reach and equity, not just demonstrate efficacy in ideal conditions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 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.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-05-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-18. (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 23 186

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