Novel Approaches to Decrease Stigma of Substance Use Disorders in order to Facilitate Prevention, Treatment, and Support During Recovery (R41/R42 - Clinical Trials Optional) | RFA DA 21 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 21 015

The NIH funding opportunity titled "Novel Approaches to Decrease Stigma of Substance Use Disorders in order to Facilitate Prevention, Treatment, and Support During Recovery" (RFA-DA-21-015) is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program using the R41/R42 mechanism. Its central goal is to move beyond basic research and support small businesses in creating practical, commercializable products that measurably reduce stigma related to substance use disorders (SUD). The announcement is grounded in the idea that stigma functions as a real barrier to care: it can keep people from seeking prevention services, entering treatment, staying in treatment, or accessing the kinds of support that make recovery sustainable. By funding innovation that targets stigma directly, NIH is aiming to improve access, quality of care, and downstream health outcomes, especially in settings where SUD intersects with other high-need health issues.

The program is structured around two phases. Phase I (R41) supports early-stage work focused on developing a new product or intervention and testing whether it is feasible and promising. In practical terms, Phase I projects are expected to build and refine novel approaches such as digital technologies, services, or other interventions that could reduce stigmatizing attitudes or behaviors toward people with SUD. The emphasis is not only on creating something new, but also on demonstrating that it can work in real-world environments like clinical care settings, clinical training environments, and other relevant contexts. A key expectation in Phase I is establishing credible ways to measure stigma reduction, since stigma is often hard to quantify and can show up differently depending on the population and setting.

Phase II (R42) is designed for projects that have already demonstrated early feasibility and are ready to show stronger evidence of impact and a pathway to market. The Phase II focus is on demonstrating efficacy: applicants are expected to provide convincing data that the product or intervention decreases SUD-related stigma and can realistically be commercialized and adopted at scale. NIH highlights several use contexts for Phase II, including clinical care, clinical training programs, and other settings where stigma may interfere with prevention, treatment engagement, or recovery support. The goal at this stage is to show that the innovation does more than shift opinions in a survey; it should reduce stigma in a way that meaningfully removes barriers to SUD prevention and treatment and improves support during recovery.

A notable emphasis throughout the announcement is the relevance of HIV prevention and care settings. NIH explicitly invites applications addressing stigma in environments such as HIV clinics, prevention programs, or related care systems where people may experience overlapping stigma tied to substance use and HIV. For Phase II in particular, projects that focus on HIV prevention and care settings are encouraged not only to demonstrate reductions in SUD stigma, but also to show improved health outcomes for people living with both HIV and SUD. This reflects an integrated public health priority: stigma reduction is treated as a lever that can improve engagement in HIV services, adherence to treatment, and overall continuity of care when substance use is involved.

Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR program rules. The opportunity also makes clear that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible either. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowable in some cases, meaning a U.S. small business applicant might be able to include certain foreign elements of the work if NIH policy permits and if it is well justified.

Administratively, the funding instrument is a grant under the NIH umbrella, with the opportunity categorized under education and health and associated with CFDA number 93.279. The original closing date listed for this specific announcement was February 26, 2021, and the award ceiling shown in the provided source data is $256,580. Overall, the program is aimed at translating research into usable, scalable tools or services that can reduce stigma in the places where it does the most harm, while also ensuring that funded projects have a realistic path toward commercialization and broad implementation.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Novel Approaches to Decrease Stigma of Substance Use Disorders in order to Facilitate Prevention, Treatment, and Support During Recovery (R41/R42 - Clinical Trials Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-26. (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 $256,580.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

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