ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity RFA-DA-28-013

Neural Ensembles & Used Substances (NExUS) Collaboratory: Building a Multimodal Inventory of Cell Ensembles Encoding the Effects of Addictive Substances (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

Neural Ensembles & Used Substances (NExUS) Collaboratory: Building a Multimodal Inventory of Cell Ensembles Encoding the Effects of Addictive Substances (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a forecasted federal cooperative agreement opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The agency's forecast estimates an application due date of October 7, 2026; forecast dates can change. Individual awards are listed as up to $700K, with about 4 awards expected. 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 11, 2025Forecast posted
Jul 1, 2026 (est.)Full notice expected
Oct 7, 2026 (est.)Application deadline
Jul 1, 2027 (est.)Est. award datenext date

Posted: Sep 11, 2025
Est. close date: Oct 7, 2026
Est. award date: Jul 1, 2027
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: $700,000
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: 4
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Cooperative Agreement
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2027

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 the expansion of the Collaboratory on Neural Ensembles & Used Substances (NExUS), an effort to build a knowledgebase of the neural cell populations and computations altered by substance-associated experiences, and underlying neurobehavioral states characteristic of addiction, or protective against it. This notice is provided to allow prospective applicants to develop applications that achieve the following goals:

1) Collect and share granular datasets descriptive of neural cell populations tuned to tractable features of substance-related experiences

2) Integrate cell-resolved readouts of ensemble activity with other granular data modalities (e.g., molecular cell identity, epigenetic state, morphology, spatial localization or connectivity)

3) Develop tools for analysis and visualization of ensemble composition and geometry, and document their scalability

4) Inform and test models for the mechanisms whereby cells or motifs are recruited into coding ensembles

5) Enable synergies among NExUS-funded projects and with other cell atlasing efforts through coordination of outreach, data standards, analytics, common spatial frameworks, and reference taxonomies

Grant Authorities that allow NIDA to forecast this opportunity are as follows: Section 301 (42 U.S.C. § 241) and Section 405 (42 U.S.C. § 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 July 1, 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 earlyIntegrative Neuroscience Branch Program Staff · INBranch_NIDA@nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before October 7, 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.

Agency contact (as published)

Integrative Neuroscience Branch Program Staff
INBranch_NIDA@nih.gov
Please contact via e-mail

Changes we detected

Oct 9, 2026: Close date changed
Oct 9, 2026: Title changed

Quick answers

Is this opportunity 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 July 1, 2026. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?

The official notice lists 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 this opportunity?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $700k and the agency expects to make about 4 awards.

How do I apply for this opportunity?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-DA-28-013), 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 93.113, 93.121…