ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity RFA-DA-28-002

NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science 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 May 26, 2027; forecast dates can change. Individual awards are listed as up to $375K, with about 5 awards expected and $3M in total estimated funding. 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

Sep 10, 2026Forecast posted
Feb 1, 2027 (est.)Full notice expectednext date
May 26, 2027 (est.)Application deadline
Apr 1, 2028 (est.)Est. award date

Posted: Sep 10, 2026
Est. close date: May 26, 2027
Est. award date: Apr 1, 2028
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: $375,000
Est. total funding: $3,000,000
Expected awards: 5
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2028

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;

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.

Avenir, the French word for "future," reflects NIDA's commitment to developing the next generation of leaders in addiction science. Since 2015, the Avenir Program has supported exceptionally creative early stage investigators (ESIs) in launching innovative research programs. NIDA is now expanding this program to support bold mechanistic research across a broader range of addiction science, including genetic, epigenetic, molecular, cellular, circuit, chemical, pharmacological, behavioral, and cognitive processes relevant to Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).

This initiative is intended to catalyze high-risk, high-reward research and attract outstanding new investigators, including those from outside the addiction field. Applications proposing novel, unconventional, or interdisciplinary wet-lab and/or data science approaches to advance understanding of the mechanisms underlying SUDs are encouraged. The Avenir Program is designed for ESIs who may lack the preliminary data needed for an R01 application but propose high-impact research and show strong potential to become future leaders in fundamental mechanistic addiction science.

Grant authorities that allow NIDA to forecast this opportunity are 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 February 1, 2027. 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 earlyNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA · NIDA_GED_Program@nida.nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before May 26, 2027Submit 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.

Agency contact (as published)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA
NIDA_GED_Program@nida.nih.gov
Please contact via e-mail.

Quick answers

Is “NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science” 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 February 1, 2027. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for “NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science”?

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 much funding is available through “NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $375k, total estimated program funding is $3,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 5 awards.

How do I apply for “NIDA Avenir Program: Fundamental Mechanistic Research in Addiction Science”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-DA-28-002), 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.

ForecastedResearchALN 93.279