ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity PAR-27-097

NIDA Core "Center of Transformative Science" Grant Program

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NIDA Core "Center of Transformative Science" Grant Program is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The agency's forecast estimates an application due date of September 25, 2026; forecast dates can change. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 10 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.279 (Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

May 7, 2026Forecast posted
Aug 18, 2026 (est.)Full notice expected
Sep 25, 2026 (est.)Application deadline
Jul 1, 2027 (est.)Est. award datenext date

Posted: May 7, 2026
Est. close date: Sep 25, 2026
Est. award date: Jul 1, 2027
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: Not specified
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: Not specified
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2027

Typical awards for this program (SAM.gov listing for ALN 93.279, not this notice): Range-$5,724 to $27,502,167, Average-$621,479

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public colleges & universities
Federally recognized tribal governments
Public & Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations
501(c)(3) nonprofits
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
Private colleges & universities
For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
Small businesses
Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Other Eligible ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks to advance its mission by supporting Core Center of Transformative Science Grants. These Centers will bring together investigators currently funded by NIH or other Federal or non-Federal sources to enhance and extend existing research relevant to substance use, addiction, and HIV. Centers are expected to transform the scientific field of study by facilitating research, providing administrative support, and fostering a rigorous research environment that encourages innovative and creative directions. Incremental work should not be the focus of Center activities.

Applications responding to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are strongly encouraged to integrate and promote research across funded projects at the applicant institution that align with the Center’s theme, while also supporting interdisciplinary collaborations. Each application should propose a single Center. Centers may include a range of resources with distinct goals across the different scientific areas. They are intended to provide shared resources to a research community, such as imaging capabilities or small-molecule drug chemistry support. Centers must also prioritize providing research opportunities and experiences for new and early-career investigators, facilitating collaborations, and promoting the sharing of data, research findings, and resources to achieve the program goals. Grant authorities that allow NIDA to forecast this opportunity are as follows: 42 U.S.C 241 and 284

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Watch for the full noticeThe agency estimates posting it around August 18, 2026. Save this grant to track changes.
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyNIDA Referral Officer · NIDAreferral@mail.nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before September 25, 2026Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.279Drug Use and Addiction Research ProgramsProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 93.279

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$1.25B

FY25

$1.34B

FY26

$20.2M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.279. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Who was funded under ALN 93.279

Historical data · not a prediction

Since October 1, 2023, 5,882 grant awards had funding actions under Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs, with 5,205 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.

YALE UNIV$178M
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY$173M
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO$172M
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION$127M
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$106M

Recipients, states, recent awards and sub-awards →Source: USAspending.gov.

Agency contact (as published)

NIDA Referral Officer
NIDAreferral@mail.nih.gov
Please contact via e-mail

Quick answers

Is “NIDA Core "Center of Transformative Science" Grant Program” open for applications yet?

Not yet. It is a forecast — an agency's advance notice of an expected opportunity. The agency estimates posting the full notice around August 18, 2026. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for “NIDA Core "Center of Transformative Science" Grant Program”?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 3 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How do I apply for “NIDA Core "Center of Transformative Science" Grant Program”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity PAR-27-097), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

OpenResearchALN 93.279