NIH RFA · NIDA · R21

RFA-DA-26-056: Accelerating the Pace of Substance Use Research Using Existing Data (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards

Open for applicationsNext due date: Dec 3, 2026Expires Dec 4, 2027

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to invite applications proposing the innovative analysis of existing social science, behavioral, administrative, and neuroimaging data to study the etiology and epidemiology of drug using behaviors (defined as alcohol, tobacco, prescription and other drug) and related disorders, prevention of drug use and HIV, and health service utilization. This FOA encourages the analyses of public use and other extant community-based or clinical datasets to their full potential in order to increase our knowledge of etiology, trajectories of drug using behaviors and their consequences including morbidity and mortality, risk and resilience in the…

Full NOFO in the NIH Guide Apply on Grants.gov

NOFO number
RFA-DA-26-056
Type
RFA
Activity code
R21
Primary institute
NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse
Clinical trials
Not Allowed
Posted
Dec 5, 2024
Opens
Jun 17, 2025
Expires
Dec 4, 2027

RFA-DA-26-056 due dates

3 application due dates remain before the NOFO expires. Dates marked * are NIH standard due dates. Check the related notices below for changes NIH made after posting.

Application due dates and review cycles for RFA-DA-26-056
Application Due Date(s)Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowedScientific Merit ReviewAdvisory Council ReviewEarliest Start Date
July 17, 2025July 17, 2025July 17, 2025October 2025January 2026April 2026
December 03, 2025December 03, 2025December 03, 2025March 2026May 2026July 2026
July 17, 2026July 17, 2026Not ApplicableOctober 2026January 2027April 2027
December 03, 2026December 03, 2026Not ApplicableMarch 2027May 2027July 2027
July 15, 2027July 15, 2027Not ApplicableOctober 2027January 2028April 2028
December 03, 2027December 03, 2027Not ApplicableMarch 2028May 2028July 2028

Projects funded under RFA-DA-26-056

NIH RePORTER lists 4 projects funded under RFA-DA-26-056 in FY2022–FY2026, with $1.6M in award dollars. Counts include each project's later non-competing years, which keep the original NOFO number.

Projects funded

4

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

4

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$1.6M

Award dollars under RFA-DA-26-056, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under RFA-DA-26-056
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202300$0
FY202400$0
FY202500$0
FY202644$1.6M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital$477K · 1 project
  2. Univ of Maryland, College Park$445K · 1 project
  3. University of Nebraska Medical Center$422K · 1 project
  4. Henry M. Jackson Fdn for the Adv Mil/Med$208K · 1 project

Funding institutes

  • NIDA$1.6M · 4

Activity codes funded

Most recent new awards

What its predecessor RFA-DA-24-037 funded

RFA-DA-26-056 reissues RFA-DA-24-037. Its funding history is the best guide to who wins under this program: 6 projects and $2.4M in FY2022–FY2026.

Projects funded

6

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

6

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$2.4M

Award dollars under RFA-DA-24-037, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under RFA-DA-24-037
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202311$237K
FY202454$1.3M
FY202541$844K
FY202600$0

Institutions with the most funding

  1. Rand Corporation$728K · 2 projects
  2. University of California-Irvine$470K · 1 project
  3. University of California, San Diego$435K · 1 project
  4. Purdue University$432K · 1 project
  5. Yale University$360K · 1 project

Funding institutes

  • NIDA$2.4M · 10

Activity codes funded

Most recent new awards

FY2026 closed on September 30, 2026, but NIH keeps posting that year's awards to RePORTER for several weeks. FY2026 figures reflect records available on October 16, 2026 and may rise slightly at the next refresh.

Participating institutes

2 NIH institutes and offices take applications under RFA-DA-26-056. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your research before applying.

  • NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • none

Related notices

  1. Jan 28, 2026 · NOT-OD-26-029

    NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs.

  2. Mar 31, 2025 · NOT-OD-24-084

    This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25,…

  3. Aug 31, 2022 · NOT-OD-22-198

    Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198.

  4. Aug 5, 2022 · NOT-OD-22-189

    Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.

Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs)

NIH has attached 1 NOSI to RFA-DA-26-056; none are active now. A NOSI flags a topic an institute wants to fund through this NOFO.

Award terms

Application types allowed
NewRenewalResubmissionRevision The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.
Award budget
The combined budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed 275,000. No more than 200,000 may be requested in any single year.
Project period
The maximum period is 2 years.  NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.
Funds available and number of awards
NIDA intends to commit 2 million in FY 2026 to award two-four applications, with an additional 2 million for two-four applications focused on HIV research, in response to this and the companion R01 RFA-DA-26-055. 

Summarized from the NOFO text; the full NOFO governs eligibility, budget, and review.

Related NOFOs

Other open NOFOs for R21

Browse all open NIH NOFOs

About this page

GotGrant gathers the NOFO, its participation and change notices, and its NOSIs from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, and counts funded projects from NIH RePORTER by the opportunity number each award was made under. Data refreshed October 16, 2026; the NIH Guide is the authoritative source. See our data methodology.

Find who wins under this NOFO

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