Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 25 048

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering a Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer style funding opportunity under RFA-DA-25-048, titled "Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional)." This is a discretionary grant opportunity designed specifically to help small business concerns move practical, market-ready technologies toward commercialization. The focus is on products that address health-related social needs that contribute to or worsen substance use disorders, with one clear boundary: projects must target SUDs other than alcohol use disorder.

At its core, this opportunity is about translating ideas into deployable solutions that can reduce barriers and improve outcomes for people affected by SUD by tackling upstream social and environmental factors. While the notice text provided does not list specific social needs, NIH use of the term "health-related social needs" generally refers to concrete, individual-level needs that sit within broader social determinants of health, such as housing instability, food insecurity, transportation challenges, employment and income barriers, safety, access to health and social services, and related navigation and support gaps. The intent is not just to study these issues, but to develop technologies that can be commercialized and used in real-world settings to mitigate them in ways that ultimately improve prevention, treatment engagement, retention, recovery supports, and other SUD-related outcomes.

The funding mechanism is R43/R44, which corresponds to the SBIR phased approach, where Phase I (R43) typically supports early feasibility and proof-of-concept and Phase II (R44) supports further development, refinement, and steps toward commercialization. The listing specifies "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose work that includes a clinical trial if it is appropriate for the product and stage of development, but a clinical trial is not required. This is important for product developers because some technologies may need pilot testing in clinical or community environments, while others may be better suited for usability testing, implementation pilots, or technical validation that does not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial.

Eligibility is limited to small businesses. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the notice notes that "foreign components," as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowable in some cases, which typically means a U.S. small business applicant might include certain limited foreign activities or collaborations if they are well-justified and meet NIH policy requirements. Anyone considering an international partnership would need to read the full Notice of Funding Opportunity carefully to confirm what is permissible and what documentation is required.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by NIH and is categorized under education and health, with CFDA number 93.279. The original closing date is March 13, 2026, and the record shows an award ceiling of $295,924. The posting indicates an expected awards field but does not provide a number in the supplied data, so applicants should consult the full announcement for information on anticipated award counts, budget guidance by phase, and any institute-specific priorities.

In practical terms, the best fit applicants are U.S.-based small businesses that already have a product concept or prototype and can clearly explain how their technology will address a defined social need that affects SUD risk or recovery, why it is likely to work in the intended setting (for example, clinics, community organizations, justice settings, mobile outreach, or home-based support), and how it can realistically reach a market. Because NIH emphasizes commercialization in SBIR/STTR-style opportunities, strong applications typically pair a credible technical development plan with a clear path to adoption and sustainability, including an understanding of the customer (health systems, payers, community providers, state agencies, employers, or other stakeholders), the reimbursement or purchasing pathway, regulatory considerations if relevant, and a realistic plan for scaling beyond the grant period.

For the exact scope, review criteria, required components, and any topic-specific instructions, the full Notice of Funding Opportunity is the authoritative source, especially since eligibility nuances (including foreign component rules) and phase-specific expectations are usually spelled out in detail there.

  • The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R43/R44 Clinical Trial 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 2023-09-28.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-13. (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 $295,924.00 in funding.
  • Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
Apply for RFA DA 25 048

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Institutes of Health

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education, Health

Next opportunity: Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education

Previous opportunity: Single Source: Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program (LungMAP) Phase 3 - Data Coordinating Center (U24- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for RFA DA 25 048

 

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA DA 25 048) also looked into and applied for these:

Funding Opportunity
Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 25 047

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 047
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $295,924
Mechanistic Research on Neuromodulation for Substance Use Disorders Treatment (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 24 033

Funding Number: RFA DA 24 033
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $600,000
Mechanistic Research on Neuromodulation for Substance Use Disorders Treatment (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) Apply for RFA DA 24 032

Funding Number: RFA DA 24 032
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: Case Dependent
Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 23 276

Funding Number: PAR 23 276
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $300,000
Advancing Research Careers (ARC) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award to Promote Diversity (F99/K00 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 23 222

Funding Number: PAR 23 222
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: Case Dependent
Pre-Cancer Atlas (PCA) Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 23 040

Funding Number: RFA CA 23 040
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $800,000
Single Source: Human Tumor Atlas Network Data Coordinating Center (HTAN-DCC; U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 23 041

Funding Number: RFA CA 23 041
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $1,800,000
Ending the Epidemic: New Models of Integrated HIV/AIDS, Addiction, and Primary Care Services (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 25 059

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 059
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $459,000
Human Tumor Atlas (HTA) Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 23 039

Funding Number: RFA CA 23 039
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $800,000
Exploratory studies to investigate mechanisms of HIV infection, replication, latency, and/or pathogenesis in the context of substance use disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA DA 25 011

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 011
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $700,000
Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 23 308

Funding Number: PAR 23 308
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $1,700,000
Revision Applications for Validation of Biomarker Assays Developed Through NIH-Supported Research Grants (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 24 047

Funding Number: PAR 24 047
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $150,000
Interventions on Health and Healthcare Disparities on Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Improving Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trial Required) Apply for PAR 23 304

Funding Number: PAR 23 304
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: Case Dependent
Unveiling Health and Healthcare Disparities in Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Setting the Stage for Better Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 23 303

Funding Number: PAR 23 303
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: Case Dependent
Translational Research Toward Development of a Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) Vaccine (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA CA 24 006

Funding Number: RFA CA 24 006
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: Case Dependent
Applying Imaging Pipelines for Spatial Characterization of Cellular Interactions in HIV-related CNS Pathology and/or Substance Use (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA DA 24 030

Funding Number: RFA DA 24 030
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $300,000
Targeting Inflammasomes in HIV and Substance Use (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA DA 25 012

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 012
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $500,000
Targeting Inflammasomes in HIV and Substance Use (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA DA 25 013

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 013
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $275,000
Tools for decentralized clinical trials for substance use disorder (R43/R44 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for RFA DA 25 052

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 052
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $295,924
Tools for Decentralized Clinical Trials for Substance Use Disorder (R41/R42 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for RFA DA 25 051

Funding Number: RFA DA 25 051
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Category: Education, Health
Funding Amount: $1,972,828

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

Inside Our Applicants Portal

  • Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
  • Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
  • Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Access Applicants Portal

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Learn More

 

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA DA 25 048", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.

 

Ask a Question: